Something Yet To Learn
by VeganZombie
Summary: "I'll make you love to hate me, but that's alright, because it's still love." Logan/OC.
1. Will I?

Ohhay. So I have no life, so this kind of came to me one day. Not to mention, I was kind of tired of reading the some stuff over and over again...so, enjoy (or at least try to.) This is a short one, but they get longer as I go on. Promise. :)

-Veg :)

PS, it all starts in Logan's POV.

* * *

It was getting to that point again where the guys and I were spending way too much time together.

And I mean WAY too much time together.

I mean, I guess it's kind of obvious, considering we're always recording, and we live together. It only makes sense for us to finish each other's thoughts at this point which is why we decided today, our day off, would be a good idea to spend some time alone. Kendall took Jo out, Carlos claimed the pool before anyone else could, and James...well, he just went to be himself (whatever that consisted of.)

I really wasn't sure what to do, so I spent most this morning bumming around in our room. It was when I knew I had to get out for a little bit I decided to go for a walk. It wasn't long before I found a place where I could hang out for awhile- a local coffee shop that I've passed a million times before but never went in. Inside was dimly lit and gave off the scent of coffee beans. There were plenty of tables, a few armchairs and a couch in the back corner. Most of the seats were filled with customers, chatting quietly, sipping their drinks and listening to Michael Bublé's "Song For You" softly playing in the background. I order myself a drink, then attempt to find myself a seat. I immediately focus on the empty armchair in the back and go to claim it. My coffee was good, the chair was comfortable and the overall atmosphere was relaxing. I tried to picture what the guys were up to right now- Kendall was probably arguing with Jo over something completely meaningless that they'll get over in the next five minutes, poor Carlos was probably being rejected by one of the snobby Palm Woods girls, and wherever James was, he was probably subconsciously pulling out his lucky comb and fixing his hair that there wasn't anything wrong with to begin with. I quietly chuckle to myself as I imagined their situations, until someone loudly talking next to me cut off my thoughts.

"Ugh, Patrick! Really?" I glance over my shoulder at the girl next to me, sitting on the black leather couch. She was on the phone while staring down at the textbook on coffee table in front of her. I turn back around before she notices me. "Can you answer your fucking phone for once? I'm practically dying over here...and we have important things to discuss. I really need help with this trig shit, and I'm pretty sure you're the only person who can help me. So...call me back, you douche bag- before I fail our next exam. Kaythanksbye."

Did she really just say she needed help with math? I glance back over at her again- she was actually really pretty. She was tan with big, brown eyes and wavy brown hair that fell just at her elbows and had a pair of aviators on top, keeping it out of her face. She kind of struck me as a bohemian/hipster type, dressed in a navy sundress and brown cowboy boots. "The sine of an obtuse angle is equal to the..." Her words fade off and she lets out a frustrated sigh. "Fuck." Feeling unusually brave, I got up from my seat and stood myself in front of her.

"Uh, hey," I say, not as confident as I wanted to.

"I'm not in the mood for a cheesy pickup line, so I'm gonna ask you nicely to fuck off." She bluntly states without even glancing at me. Okay, maybe this wasn't a good idea.


	2. Ol' Whatsername

And here comes part two...as told by my lovely OC. I think you'll finally see my reasoning for the rating here.

- VEG. :)

* * *

God, there's just a huge list things I hate right now. Just to name a few...

I hate my parents. Actually, hate can't even describe the feeling I have toward them. I may sound like your average, angsty teenager, but I have my reasons. They're divorced, and while the closest thing I had to a father went off with his big business and made millions, my younger brothers, one of them being severely Autistic, and I lived in a three bedroom ranch with our mother, who would disappear for days at a time and come back with more weed in her system than Bob Marley did in his whole lifetime. These past few years, my brothers have only really had me as a parental figure, and the only break I ever get is weekends, when their father takes them, the occasional day when my grandmother can babysit, or when my mom decides she wants to be our mother, like she's attempting this week.

I hate school. Of course, LA County High School for the Arts was slightly less awful than attending a regular public school, but I still hated it. My art teachers don't embrace creativity, the music director lived in his own little world, and the director for our shows might as well be invisible, considering we basically never see her. So now I have to create a dull midterm project for my color & 2D design class, perform a song I've practiced only once for our school's "Save the Music" concert, and lead student-run rehearsals for our production of _Sweeney Todd._

On top of that, I hate my academic part of school. The whole, "You're gonna see this every day for the rest of your life!" speech was a bunch of bullshit. I know for a fact that I'll never really need to know about acid-base titration calculation or the trigonometric functions of angles. Not to mention, I didn't understand any of it, anyway. I'm currently trying to finish my trig homework in the coffee shop...and am getting absolutely nowhere. I tried calling my friend for help, but he was probably too busy being the tool he is and trying to get with some poor, helpless girl.

I really hate guys- especially douche bag-ish ones who thought they could get any girl whenever they wanted. I hate listening to girls complain about boys, and just the word "relationship" in general makes me cringe. And I don't think there was anything I hated more than when guys made pathetic attempts to hit on me.

That's the situation I was probably about to get myself in to. I wasn't even going to bother looking at the guy. "Uh, hey," I hear a soft, almost cracking voice say. That wasn't exactly the approach I was expecting, but whatever.

"I'm not in the mood for a cheesy pickup line, so I'm gonna ask you nicely to fuck off." I bluntly state without bothering to peel my eyes away from my phone. God dammit! Where the hell was Pat when I needed him?

"Oh, god- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, uh..." Okay, maybe he wasn't a jerk, but he was still making an idiot out of himself.

"Okay, can we make this quick?" I ask clearly annoyed. "I have work to do." I finally take the time to look up at him- he was actually kind of cute. He was pale with dark hair, brown eyes, and a sweet, innocent looking face. His hands were tucked in the pockets of his jeans as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet- he actually looked kind of nervous. "Uh, sorry...I mean..." He let's out a deep sigh. "I just overheard you talking about how you needed some help, and...I'm pretty good at math, so I thought I could maybe…help you?"

"Help me?" I ask, trying not to laugh. "You can't be serious. I'm un-teachable."

"I bet I could change that," he says, flashing me a perfectly white smile. I refrain from rolling my eyes.

"Cocky, are we?" I ask with a smirk, scooting over to make room for him. "Alright, try me."

"Well, to start off," he sits down, then holds out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Logan."

Oh my god- what a tool.

"Brooklyn," I say, awkwardly shaking his hand.

And I guess this is where our story begins…


	3. What You Say Is Way Too Complicated

YOU ALL JUST MAKE ME SO HAPPY. No, really. Not even 30 minutes after posting my first two chapters, I started getting reviews. I love reviews. Then again, who doesn't? They make me feel all warm & fuzzy inside. Sooo a big thanks (again) to **midnight knightress**, **WolfGirl-XD**, and **losingmymind3696**! :) I now present chapter 3 to my loyal readers! This one starts off in Brroklyn's POV, but doesn't really stay there for long. :P

- VEG :D

* * *

I had absolutely no idea what the hell Logan was talking about. I could barely focus because I was about to drop dead. I finally look back up when he notices I wasn't listening. "...A function of any angle will equal plus or minus that same function of the corresponding acute angle. The sign will depend on the quadrant." That was when I let my head fall down on the table.

"I told you I was un-teachable." Logan sighs. "I'm gonna fail my midterm."

"No, you're not," he says sternly.

"Then how the hell am I gonna find a way to understand anything you're saying?" I ask, my head still down.

"Well," he says, lowering his face so it's at the same level as mine, then changing his voice to a rather loud whisper. "You can start by picking your head up." I turn my face away from his so he wouldn't see me quietly chuckling. "You're smiling!" _YOU'RE A TOOL._

"I am not!"

"C'mon, you only have a few problems left- then you're done." I let out a long, loud groan. "Alright, you try and do one now." Logan flips through the book until he finds what he's looking for. "Here, try this one." He pushes the book in front of me. All I saw was a bunch of gibberish.

"You can't be fucking serious." Logan sighs, clearly frustrated with my lack ofeffort.

"Okay, look," he says, scribbling something down in my notebook. "The corresponding acute angle of 195° is 15°. Therefore, cos 195° = ±cos 15° = ± .966. Are you with me?"

"Barely."

"Uh, good enough. Okay, so, in the third quadrant, cos θ (x/r) is negative. Therefore, cos 195° equals...?" He looks at me, hoping I'll finish. I furrow my brow at him, trying to think back to what he was trying to explain to me a few minutes ago.

* * *

I don't think Brooklyn and I were really getting anywhere. When I'd try to explain something to her, she'd continuously make negative comments about how she was never going to understand any of it, along with a long stream of curse words mumbled under her breath. When I'd give her a problem to try, she'd just whine, wrinkle her forehead at me and refuse to do so. I guess this is what she means by "un-teachable."

I observe her as I wait for an answer that I really wasn't expecting to get. She taps her long nails on her notebook, making a noise that drove me absolutely crazy. After a whole minute of wanting to absolutely explode, I place my hand on top of hers- not flirtatiously, but just because that sound was going to be the death of me. "...- .966?" She asks with a smirk. My whole face lights up.

"Yes!" I say, a bit over-excitedly. I then quickly pull my hand back, realizing how uncomfortable it was. "See? You're learning!" Brooklyn rolls her eyes at me.

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Okay, so now we can-" I was cut off by my phone ringing obnoxiously loud. I mouth "sorry" to Brooklyn and check to see who it was- Kendall. Of course; perfect timing, as usual. "Hello?" I ask, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Yo, where are you?" He asks.

"Uh, the coffee shop down the street- why?"

"Kay, we'll be there in a few. We're all going out tonight."

"Uh, where-" I hear him disconnect on the other end. I only assumed this was relatively important.

I glance back over at Brooklyn staring down at her math book, still looking confused, even if it was slightly less than before. I felt kind of bad leaving her just as she was getting the hang of her work.

"Uh, hey-" I start.

"Gotta go?" She asks. I sigh.

"Yeah, sorry," I reply.

"It's alright; thanks for your help," she says, closing up her book. "I should head home myself." That's when I got an idea.

"Brooklyn?" She looks up at me with her big, brown eyes. "Do you need a tutor?"

_What are you doing? You won't have the time for that, with the way Gustavo __works all of you._

"Kind of...desperately, yeah." She tries to laugh it off.

"Uh, then maybe we can do this again sometime...and I'll try and help you some more." She smiles at me; that warm, genuine smile convinced me the tough girl attitude she tried to pull off earlier was all just a show.

"That sounds great, actually."

"Cool, so..." Brooklyn looked as if she was trying not to laugh- I probably looked so pathetic. "Tomorrow? Same place and time?" Tomorrow was Sunday- we'd rehearse in the morning, but we'd probably be done by the afternoon.

"Sure, see ya then."

I stand up to leave, then quickly remember something.

"Oh, wait," I say, grabbing her notebook and scribbling my number on the inside of the cover. "Here...just in case." I flash her a quick smile; she rolls her eyes. "See ya tomorrow."

"Bye, Logan."


	4. You'll See, Boys

You guys make me soooo happy! I love it when I'm having a miserable day, then when I pull my phone out to check my e-mail I have a new review, and everyone's just like "...wtf, why are you so happy?" And I'm being legit; they have that much of an impact on me. xD Soo I wasn't really planning on writing more 'till the weekend, but because I love you all, I found the time somewhere in between play/show choir rehearsals to type you up a new chapter on my phone. xD Soo, here you go! :D We'll start off in Logan's POV!

- VEG

* * *

"Soooo," Kendall says with a mischievous smile, scooting closer to me once I take my seat in the car. "How was the coffee shop?" There was obviously something going on- and it had to be good. He was in this weird, overly happy mood and refused to tell us why.

"Fine," I simply reply with no intention of telling them what happened today.

"Just fine?" The three of them were now staring at me with the same, smug look. They all knew it had to be girl-related.

"I'd know that face anywhere." James points out- I didn't even know I was making a face. "What's her name?" Maybe we really were spending too much time together.

"How was your date with Jo?" I turn to Kendall and attempt to change the subject.

"I'm sure we're all more interested in hearing about your day." He replies with a smirk. "What's her name?" I sigh.

"Brooklyn," I reply. "And its really not...anything. I'm just helping her with math." Kendall scoffs before I can even finish my sentence.

"Yeah, okay." He says, rolling his eyes. They were all obviously getting a kick out of this.

"When are you gonna see her again?" Carlos asks. God, this was turning into a game of 20 Q's and it was really starting to irritate me.

"Tomorrow." I say, waiting for their oh-so predictable reaction.

There it was- they all gave me that dumb-looking smile.

"I'm just helping her with math!"

"Uh-huh, sure..."

* * *

I got myself another black coffee to go and slowly started my way home. My walk wasn't really any longer than ten minutes, but with the way I was dragging my feet, I could easily make it longer.

I thought about my tutoring experience with Logan. I couldn't help but chuckle when the face he made when I cursed him out popped up in my head. He really was a sweet person, and really helped me today- I guess I just got lucky.

My thoughts are cut off when a loud Spring Awakening song starts to blast out of my dress pocket. I roll my eyes, knowing there was only one person in my contacts with that ringtone. "Well, look who finally decided to call me back." I say. "Hi" really wasn't a common greeting for me. The first thing I hear is Pat letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Yeah, okay, I don't need a story."

"You still need help?"

"No, actually."

"You figured it out?" He obviously sounded shocked. Oh, fuck you, Patrick.

"No, a boy much nicer than yourself helped me." I say, mainly just to piss him off. He just scoffs at me.

"Let me guess- a creepy 30 year old?"

"Oh, fuck you, Patrick." I couldn't wait to get that out. "He probably wasn't any older than you." I was 16, and Pat was a year older.

"Yeah, whatever. So I take it that you don't need help?"

"No, I'm getting help tomorrow, too."

"Well then; I feel replaced."

"Watch out," I joke. "That just might be next."

"You'd never get rid of me."

"That's what you think." We both laugh. It was true- I'd never get rid of Pat. He's been my best friend since I moved here from New York four years ago.

"Yeah, yeah. What're you doing tonight?"

"You know me- nothing."

"Okay, I'll pick you up later and we'll go out or something." We were at the point that we didn't ask each other things- just told. We were the kind friends that just walked into each other's houses and went straight to the fridge.

"'Kay, sounds good."

When I finally got home, it was my instinct to automatically call to check up on my brothers at their father's house. I talked to Alex, my youngest brother at 7. Apparently, they were fine and going out to dinner tonight, so I couldn't stay on the phone long. I couldn't help but be angry after I hang up, wondering if their father even thought about what would happen with his severely Autistic, non-verbal 13 year old. I know Nick better than anyone ever will, and I know for a fact he isn't the best person to take to a restaurant. Of course, their estranged father will never learn that.

* * *

"Alright, can you please tell us what's going on?" I ask, a few minutes after we're seated for dinner.

"Boys," Kendall says, dramatically standing up and raising his glass of water. "Tonight, we celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Carlos asks, clearly getting impatient.

"Well, I got a call from Gustavo earlier- you know that huge music festival that's gonna be in Vegas in a few weeks?"

We all nod- I knew where this was going.

"Guess who's gonna be the opening act?"

"Who?" Carlos asks, like he honestly didn't know the answer. We all just look at him with a blank stare. "What?"

"Dumb it down for him," I say. Kendall leans over the table and speaks as slow as he possibly can.

"Big. Time. Rush. Is. Going. To. Vegas."

There really wasn't any word that could explain our excitement.


	5. A Little Bit Longer

Hola, everyone. Sorry it's been a few days- I pledged all my time to drama club and show choir...*grumblegrumble* But, on a lighter note, who saw the new episode last night? Hehe...Logan's so cute: "That was my hypothesis- watermelons can't make toast!" I DVR'ed it so I could watch it another 8,000 times...So, my chapters are progressively getting longer...enjoy!

-Veg :)

* * *

"_Big. Time. Rush. Is. Going. To. Vegas."_

My reaction could be described as somewhere in between ecstatic and terrified. As a silly little boy-band from Minnesota, the four of us would open up for some of the biggest names in the music industry today. It's almost unbelievable how far we've come in such a short period of time.

"Logan!" I hear all three of my friends yell at the same time, bringing me back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I say. "Spaced out."

"He's too busy thinking about his new girlfriend!" Carlos says with a childish smile. I shoot him a glare that probably wasn't as threatening as I'd aimed for, because they all laugh at me. It was quiet for a moment, until I notice James whispering something to Carlos and nudging him to look a certain way. Carlos rolls his eyes. "She's obviously with her boyfriend," he says, clearly louder than planned.

"What're you guys talking about?" Kendall asks, as confused as I am. Carlos points towards the door, leading James to slap him upside the head.

"Don't point, stupid!" James tells him. Kendall and I finally decide to turn around to see what they were referring to. My only assumption was the girl standing up front, waiting to be seated- she was tan, wavy brown hair... wait a minute.

"Brooklyn." I say out loud.

"That's her?" They all say at the same time with the same face of amusement and shock. I knew it was her- she was still in her blue dress and boots. I nod vigorously.

"Well, that...sucks." James says, most likely referring to the fact that she was with another guy. I glance back over my shoulder- he was tall and slender with short brown hair, and looked like the type of guy any girl would easily melt over. I just shrug it off.

"I thought I told you- nothing happened." I say. The guys really didn't know how to react to the situation, so I guess they assumed staring at her would somehow make it better. I don't think it did- she notices me the second they pass by our table. "Uh, hey." I say, awkwardly waving.

"I'm not following you, I swear." She bluntly replies with a completely serious face.

Awkward silence...

"Uh, your friends?" She asks.

"Yeah," I say. This was, by far, the most uncomfortable situation I've ever been in. "That's Kendall, James and Carlos." Not that she was ever really gonna see them again or anything...

Brooklyn uneasily waves. "Uh, this is my friend Pat," she says, referring to the guy who now had his arm lazily slung around her shoulder. Once again, it wasn't like we'd ever see him again. The guys look at me the second she said "friend"; I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Soo, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah. See ya." The second they left to be seated at their table, Kendall, James and Carlos howl with laughter. "What?"

"You're so...awkward." Kendall points out. Yeah, like you're one to talk.

"Hey, at least now you know that wasn't her boyfriend." Carlos points out with a shrug.

* * *

The next day came fast, and before I knew it, I was being dropped off from recording with Gustavo to the coffee shop. I could see through the window that Brooklyn was already there. She was talking to the employee behind the counter who hands her a roll of tape and points toward the front. She nods and thanks him, then heads toward me. "Hey," she says with a smile. "Help me hang these up?" She had two rolled up posters tucked under her arm.

"Yeah, sure," I say, taking one of the posters and the roll of tape from her. She walks over to the front window, grabs a chair to stand on and lays out the first poster flat against it. It read:

_LACHSA Presents:_

"_Save The Music" Benefit Concert_

_Thursday, October 14th, 7-10 PM_

_5$ Admission _

_For more info, visit our website._

I stare at the poster for a minute- the date listed was this week. "LACHSA?" I ask, barely able to get the acronym out- it was definitely a mouthful. Brooklyn nods as I hand her a piece of tape.

"Yeah, LA County High School for the Arts," She replies. The full name was still too much. "If it wasn't obvious already, I go to school there." After three more pieces of tape, she asks for the next poster, advertising performances of _Sweeney Todd_ in a few weeks.

"Are you in both of those?" I ask, waiting for an obvious answer. She just nods and steps down from the chair- and doesn't bother to put it back. I knew she struck me as the artsy type- I wonder if she'd look down on me if she found out about Big Time Rush.

We eventually started on the "fun" part- finishing her math homework. All I really have to say is that she was probably about to hurt me. Our next scheduled meeting? Wednesday night.


	6. Holding on My Heart Like a Hand Grenade

Annd here's part 6- I'm finishing these chapters a lot faster than I ever expected. o.o

- Veg :)

* * *

"So, how was tutoring?" Kendall asks with a smug look on his face. It was Wednesday, and I was just returning home looking less than amused.

"Do you really want to know?" I ask in a monotone.

"God, you look awful." Carlos points out. I attempt to shoot him a glare; once again, it didn't work. "What happened?"

"She threw her calculator at me." I explain with a completely serious face.

"...and?" James asks.

"It was a graphing calculator." I let myself fall onto the couch- I was in desperate need of a nap. "And it hit me in the face." The guys try their hardest not to laugh- clearly, it wasn't hard enough.

"Jeez, what did you do?" Kendall questions. "Was that her way of rejecting you?"

"Very funny." My words came out quiet and muffled, due to the fact that my face was now in contact with a pillow. "She got frustrated with my teaching, actually."

"Uh, I take it that things aren't working out with you two, then?"

"There wasn't a "thing" to begin with. We're just friends."

"Friends who beat each other with calculators?"

I hesitate, then answer, "Yeah."

* * *

"God dammit, Brooklyn! Have you practiced this song at all?" Pat angrily asks me, slamming his hands down on my keyboard. Tomorrow I'd be performing in our school's "Save the Music" benefit concert, and I was nowhere near ready. Pat was over my house, trying to help, as he liked to call it, but all he was really doing was yelling at me.

"No, Smith and I went over it, like, once." _Not to mention, you and I only practiced it twice_- although, I don't think that one time counted when we were screaming the words at 3 AM in his car. "Can you play that one awkward note again? The F# or whatever it is?" He plays the note, I sing the words, but he was quick to cut me off.

"Why the hell do you keep switching to your head voice here?"

"Because I'm a fucking alto!"

"I want this BELTED- screw your need to sound pretty."

"I CAN'T." He sighs.

"I'm pretty sure your highest was a B flat last time we checked. This shouldn't be a problem for you." I just shoot him a glare that would easily burn holes in anyone else's soul; but, of course, not Pat's. "Fine. Take a break, then."

"Gee, thanks, Mr. Fedena!" I say with a mock of enthusiasm as I walk to the kitchen to pour myself more tea and check on my little brothers watching TV.

"So, how're your...er, math lessons...going?" I let out a deep sigh.

"Just god awful, no big deal." It wasn't Logan's fault, it was mine. I'm pretty sure I needed to get tested for ADD, because I can't ever listen to 80% of the things he tells me- it all goes right in one ear and comes out the other. I actually felt bad for him- he was a good teacher and I was an awful student. Especially after my little frustration incident today...

"Poor guy; I don't know how he does it."

"I hit him with my calculator today." I confess. I couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the face he made after my bulky graphing calculator made contact with his head. I really need to learn to be nicer to people...

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because you know me too well."

* * *

Brooklyn was like a virus to my mind- just one tiny thought of her led to another, and eventually she took over all of my thoughts, and I really wanted to know why. There was definitely something about her that just...I don't know. I guess I'm just talking stupid, huh?

But, still, everything I did could somehow relate back to her- that's how I found myself on the LACHSA website. The first thing I noticed was the advertisement for their "Save the Music" concert- the same one that Brooklyn was hanging up a poster for the other day, and that just happened to be tomorrow night. Just out of curiosity, I clicked on the page that showed the lineup of performances. There was a wide range of performers, from acapella groups to beat-boxers to violinists. I continued to scroll down until I found what I was honestly looking for:

_Closing act- Brooklyn Giordano and Patrick Fedena, singing, "As Long as You're Mine" from Wicked._

Figures- it was with her "friend", Pat.

But, something was telling me I had to get to that concert tomorrow night.


	7. What Do We Have Here?

I love you all so much, I posted two in one night for the hell of it. And plus, I want to get these nonsense chapters out of the way to the story can...er, unfold, or whatever you'd like to call it.

- Veg :)

* * *

_"But, girl, can't you see, there's no one more important to me; So, darling, can't you please see through me, 'cause we're alone now, and I'm singing my song for you..."_

"Can you turn that off?" I ask Carlos while we're in the car. I didn't mean to sound annoyed, but apparently, I did. Carlos reaches over to turn the radio off.

"Song for You" was the same song playing when I met Brooklyn at the coffee shop on Saturday. It felt really weird hearing it again- and plus, I really needed to get her out of my head. My mind was infested with the Brooklyn plague- and trust me, it's more uncomfortable than it sounds.

"Why are you so...?" Carlos started, but couldn't think of the word to finish.

"Anxious?" James finishes for him.

"Yeah."

"I'm not anxious," I lie. Truth is, I've been thinking about this all day.

I was currently on my way to the LACHSA "Save The Music" concert, and James and Carlos were joining me. Originally, I asked Kendall to come with me, 1. Because I'd look weird going alone, and 2. Because he was the least weird one out of my three best friends. But, of course, he was busy, being the only one with a girlfriend, and my other two friends insisted on tagging along.

"Does she know you're coming?" James asks, suspiciously. I bite my lower lip, nervously.

"Uh, not exactly." Just as they've been doing all week, Carlos and James laugh at me.

"So, basically, what you're saying is that we're just gonna show up at some school we've never even heard of to go creep on your future girlfriend that beats you...and she doesn't even know you're coming?" I ignored the beginning of his question.

"Well...yeah?"

"You're stupid." For once, James was being the reasonable one.

"I know."

* * *

Today has been absolute torture- in other words, it was performance night.

"Brooklyn! Where the hell is our sheet music?" Pat shouts, clearly frustrated. Everyone was running around backstage and in the choir room like chickens with their heads cut off.

"Chill, dude," I say, mid-yawn. I tried not to stress over little things like this; theatre was a whole different story, but this performance was only for one night. "It's over in my folder on the piano." Pat was pacing back and fourth, probably trying to think of more pointless things to worry about. The kid was practically born on stage, yet he still freaks out before everything he does.

"Do you think this tie matches you enough?" He asks, holding his red tie up next to the red bow on my dress. "Should I have worn the other one?"

"PAT, SHUT THE FUCK UP. You're really annoying." Obviously, he didn't hear me.

"How many people are out there? Can you go check? I'll get all freaked out if I look, and-"

"Okay, okay- just shut up." I remove my heels, throw them on a chair, and quietly make my way backstage. I tiptoe behind the curtain, and then head down the stairs and out the side door, getting a good look at the audience. It was just how I expected it to be- huge. People were standing in the back, attempting to find empty seats. I scan the audience for anyone worth saying hi to afterward- just a bunch of kids I see everyday, some parents, and..."What the hell?" I whisper to myself.

There he was- middle section, last in the row, three rows back, sitting with two other friends I'm sure I met the other day. I wasn't really sure how to even react to the situation, so I calmly make my way back across the stage and into the choir room, where Pat was still nervously walking back and fourth. "How does it look?" He bites his lower lip as he waits for my answer. God, what a fucking diva. I just shrug, fighting my urge to mess with him.

"No bigger than any other crowd we've sung for." That seemed to calm him down.

"See anyone relatively important?" Yeah, some random guy from the coffee shop who's helping me with math decided to practically stalk me without saying anything about it.

_Shut up, he's not stalking you- you hung up the fucking sign right in front of him, stupid._

"No, not really."


	8. As Long as You're Mine

I'd like to call this chapter "The Beauty of a Sprained Ankle" because my injury gave me an excuse to sit in my basement, watch Spongebob and type up this lovely, extra long chapter for you guys. ^-^

- Veegg :)

* * *

The students at LACHSA legitimately made all the kids at the Palm Woods look mediocre. The more singers, pianists and other musicians I heard, the more I could tell about how passionate they were about what they did. They all had this deep, emotional connection with their music that I highly doubt any recording artist will ever have. "When's she going on?" Carlos asks, impatiently. I swear the kid has ADHD.

"Last," I inform him. He sighs and starts to fiddle with his phone. James, on the other hand, actually looked engaged in what was going on. But, I really couldn't tell if it was because he was enjoying the music, or was just planning on asking for the musician's number later on.

"Ugh, did you hear that? That switch from the C chord to the A minor was atrocious! She just, like, banged on every key in between." A rather feminine male's voice whispers in front of me to the girl next to him, who just giggles in return. He was most likely referring to the pianist currently performing some classical piece, which I thought was rather good. "God, what happened to all the talented kids? I know they didn't all graduate with us."

"What about Brooklyn and Pat?" The girl asks. "They have to be in this, right?"

Okay, maybe this is where I should stop listening.

"Of course! You honestly think the two would ever miss a single chance to have the spotlight here?" He opens up his program and flips through the pages until he finds what he's looking for. "Ah, here we go." He points to where I'm only assuming their names were printed. "Closing act...looks like they're saving the best for last, huh?" The girl nods.

"Of course. Don't you remember when we watched Brooklyn's student audition for her freshman year?" God, did the students really have to audition jus to attend the school? No wonder they're all so amazing.

"How could I forget?" He asks with a chuckle. "She sang something from _Jekyll and Hyde_, right?"

"Duh. _Someone Like You. _Don't you remember how she practically blew us out of our seats?"

"And how Pat completely fell in love with her?" Both of them laugh. I tightly purse my lips together.

"Do you think they're dating yet?"

"Ugh. I sure hope so. If not, we'll have a word with Mr. Fedena after the show."

I spent the rest of the time trying not to listen to their conversation.

* * *

I was getting the adrenaline rush I always get before performances. The difference between Pat's, and mine though, was that mine was from excitement, and his was from nerves. "Hey, you guys have about 6 minutes." One of the kids working stage crew informs us. We nod and thank him.

"You ready?" I ask him with a smile. Pat bites his lower lip, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Warm us up- quick," he says, trying to, literally, shake his nerves out. I play a few scales until I work myself up to that problematic F#- and this time, I hit it without a problem, leading Pat's face to automatically light up like a Christmas tree. "You did it!"

"I could've done it before- I'm just lazy and enjoy pissing you off," I inform him with a smirk.

"We can do this."

"Of course we can- everyone out there loves you."

"They love us," he corrects.

"Yeah, whatever."

"You guys have about a minute," the stage crew kid informs us, gesturing for us to follow him backstage.

"Ready?" I ask once again, holding on to his arm as we quietly head backstage.

"Of course." He repeats back to me. "Everyone out there loves us."

* * *

I was basically on the edge of my seat when Brooklyn's performance was being introduced, and when the curtain started to rise, my heart nearly skipped a beat. I know that sounds uber cheesy, but I swear it did.

"Well, someone cleans up nice," James says with a smug look on his face. Carlos and I exchanged glances, trying not to laugh- we were both probably hoping he was referring to Brooklyn, because it would be really uncomfortable if he weren't. "What? She does." We both sigh in relief.

She actually did look really nice, dressed in a short, black dress with a red bow across the waist, a pair of black stilettos that looked horribly uncomfortable, and with her hair curled and neatly kept in place with a matching red headband.

"Uh-oh," the guy in front of me starts again. I swear- if he was going to start talking again, I would probably be tempted to hit him. "Do you really think they're gonna be able to pull this off? I doubt Brooklyn's voice has gotten any higher."

Well, if you shut up, maybe we'll find out.

_"Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight; I need help believing you're with me tonight..."_

Once those first few notes were let out, everyone shut up. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor- the same applied to James and Carlos. Like I said- the kids at the Palm Woods looked nothing but mediocre now. Actually, they probably looked worse.

_"My wildest dreamings could not foresee lying beside you, with you wanting me…"_

By the time the chorus came, the hair on the back of my neck nearly stood up. This was one of those moments I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about for the next few days. Brooklyn was amazing to me in every single way, and I could've watched her up there forever. Unfortunately, Pat's time to sing had to come sooner or later.

And, of course, he didn't suck. He made us look like a joke.

* * *

Pat and I belted out our last line, with some unsure harmonies added in, considering it was unexpectedly acapella (clearly, the pianist didn't know how to read music). Our result was a standing ovation- my assumption was they were glad it was finally over. Afterward, Pat and I made our way out to the lobby, getting plenty of compliments from our classmates on our way. I scan over the huge crows from afar- and, of course, immediately see Logan and his friends, talking to another student.

_Alright, maybe he wasn't here to see me._

"Yo, Gio!" I hear someone call out my nickname. My last name was Giordano, which led a lot of douche bags to think it would be cool to turn it into my nickname. It was actually quite annoying. I turn around, only to see a few acquaintances and Pat all huddled together in front of a camera. "C'mon, get in our picture!" I reluctantly, but quickly, go and have the picture taken, then wander off from the group's dull conversation. I keep walking until I "coincidentally" run into Logan.

"Uh, hey," I uncomfortably say once he notices me.

"Hey," he replies, flashing me a perfect smile that almost made me sick to my stomach. My only guess was that he was trying to make this slightly less awkward, and I don't think there's anything that could do so. "You were...uh, wow. That was just...unbelievable." I just roll my eyes in return.

"Ugh, please. Those last few measures were unbelievably flat." I reply. I wasn't one to just take praise.

"Can't you just accept my compliment?" He asks with a chuckle.

"Not really." I shrug and he rolls his eyes.

"Figures." Oh, hey there, awkward silence. "Uh, I don't know if you remember, but these are my friends Carlos and James." He gestures towards the two who I recognize from the other night. Trying to avoid another awkward silence, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, which I don't think was a very smart idea.

"So, uh...why are you here?" I quickly add in, "If you don't mind me asking..."

"Uh, well," He starts, but his friends are quick to cut him off.

"He likes music...!" His shorter friend, Carlos says. My only assumption was that he was trying to save him from saying something stupid. He didn't do a very good job.

"Uh, yeah. He _really_ likes music." James adds in. Once again, they weren't any help. I could tell right there that Logan was the smart one out of all of them.

"I was curious when I saw you hang up the poster, that's all." Logan admits. He then shows off that could even melt a heart as cold as mine. "And I definitely don't regret it now." I just smile, not knowing what else to do.

"Well, I should get going..." I say, avoiding any more feeling uncomfortable. "So, I'll see you Saturday?" I make sure our next tutoring date was still set. He nods.

"What's Saturday?" His friends ask at the same time. It was actually kind of creepy.

"I'm helping her with math," Logan informs them.

"Oh! You should come over then!" Carlos blurts out. Everyone turns to him, slightly confused. "Well, Logan can help her at first, and then maybe we can all hang out afterward." He shrugs and smiles innocently at us.

"Uh," Logan's face was a mixture between confused and somewhat terrified. "Yeah, if you're cool with that, I guess?" I couldn't help but laugh- clearly, his friend's move was unexpected.

"Sure, why not?"


	9. All I Ask of You

Two in one day, once again.** Just call me butter...cause I'm on a roll!** LOL jk, I'm vegan. *Ahem* Sorry. That was, by far, the dumbest thing I've ever said in my life. Enjoy..?

- Veg :D

* * *

After the show, I had Pat drive me home. For some reason, our car ride was mainly silent. "So," he finally says after a while. "Mike and Sarah came tonight- did you get to see them?" I nod- the two were LACHSA alumni who graduated last year.

"Yeah," I reply. "We talked for a few minutes... You know I'd never miss minute of listening to Mike bash someone else's performance." The two of us laugh, remembering what a drama queen our old friend was.

"Yeah, he couldn't wait to ask if we were dating yet." I roll my eyes. Although no one seemed to believe it, Pat was my best friend, and absolutely nothing more. I'd never want to date him, anyway- the only person he'll ever truly love is himself.

"Let me guess- he's mad because he's gonna lose money, now." Apparently, they made some kind of bet last year on when Pat and I were going to start dating. I really praise the person who put all their money on "never."

"Eh, he has another month to go. His bet was by November."

"Like I said- he's gonna lose money." We both laugh, even though this was kind of an awkward topic. "Besides, how many times do I have to tell him I can't stand you?" I add in smugly. Pat scoffs in return.

"Please- you love me," he says as he pulls in my driveway. I nearly jumped out of the moving car when I notice my mother's car was now missing from the driveway.

"What the fuck?" I angrily ask, using all my might to not slam Pat's door. Obviously aware that something was wrong, he removes his keys and follows me inside.

I let out a huge sigh of relief when I find my grandmother inside, cleaning up the kitchen. "Uh, hi," I say, kind if confused. She quickly rushes up to me, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek.

"Hi, sweetie, how was the show?" She asks. I shrug as she gives Pat the same greeting.

"Eh, fine, I guess." I say. "Uh...where's your daughter-in-law?" I was referring to my "mother." She sighs in return.

"I wish I knew." I bite my lower lip as Pat reaches down to take my hand. "She asked for my help babysitting and left the second I got here. She's been gone since around 3:30." I glance over at the clock- it was past 10.

"Uh, okay," I quietly reply, not really sure of how to react. "Thanks for staying with them."

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" She asks, grabbing her jacket.

"No, no. I'll be fine." _I've been fine the past two years, haven't I?_

"Alright then," she says with another sigh. "Call me if you need anything." I just nod as she gives Pat and I another hug and heads out the door.

"Un-fucking-believable." I bitterly say out loud. Pat tightens his grip on my hand, which I'm quick to pull away from. "I don't know why I'm so fucking surprised- it was bound to happen again sooner or later." Pat tries to calm me by putting a hand on my shoulder. I angrily shake it off. "I mean, really, why the fuck-" I quickly quiet down when I hear a door down the hall creak. Someone was awake.

"Brooklyn?" I hear Alex squeak. He comes down the hallway in his dinosaur pajamas, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Hey, Bug," I sweetly call him by his nickname we gave him as a baby because of his big, grey bug eyes. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I've been waiting for you," he innocently replies. After I scoop him up in my arms, he reaches into the tiny pocket of his shirt and pulls out a piece of string filled with purple beads. "I wanted to give this to you. Grandma and I made them. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow." I glance back at Pat as I take the bracelet from him; I could've sworn he was choking back tears.

"It's beautiful- I love it." I plant a kiss on his cheek. "Can we get back to bed now?" He tiredly nods.

"Is Pat sleeping over?"

"No, Pat has to get home."

"Actually, Brooklyn," he moves up closer to the two of us and strokes Alex's soft, brown curls. "Maybe I should just stay- I don't mind crashing on the couch for the night." I sigh and shake my head.

"No, your mom will be worried sick."

"C'mon, I'm not just gonna leave you here. I'll help you get them ready in the morning, we'll put them on the bus, and then we can forge a note to get us in late. Say we had a doctor's appointment or something."

"We had an appointment together, at the same time?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

"I can wait and go in a few minutes later." He shrugs, and I can't help but laugh. He acts like he does this all the time. "You know my mom will understand."

"If you insist," I finally give in, knowing there was no changing Pat's mind.

"Of course I do." He pulls Alex and I into a hug. "I love you guys."

* * *

"I really can't believe you did that," I tell Carlos once we're back home. We were all gathered in the living room with Kendall and Katie now joining us, intently listening to our recap of the night.

"Hey, you should be thanking me," Carlos replies in defense.

"Yeah," James adds in. "We all know you weren't going to make the move yourself- _someone_ had to."

"What move?" I ask with a confused look.

"Well, you're gonna have to do something else together besides math homework eventually..." Kendall points out.

"But what if I didn't want to?" I ask, clearly frustrated with my friends.

"If you didn't, then why'd you go tonight?" James asks, crossing his arms.

"Because..." I start, but then realize I don't really have an answer. "I like music." My friends howl with laughter. "Hey, _you_ guys said it first." Clearly annoyed, Katie abruptly stands up.

"Okay, I can't listen to this anymore." She says, starting to walk back to her room. "Boys are so dumb." And I'm sure I was the dumbest of them all.

"Alright, so she's coming over Saturday?" Kendall reassures.

"Uh, I guess so," I reply, shooting a glare back to Carlos.

"Oh, come on, Logan," he says, rolling his eyes. "Stop acting like a little girl and just admit you like her."

I open my mouth, about to actually say something, but then just decide to reply with a, "No."

Okay, maybe part of me kind of does like Brooklyn- I'm still not going to say it. It hasn't even been a week since we've met, and it would be really weird admitting it so soon. Besides, I didn't like it when my friends were right over myself. I was supposed to be the smart one, right?

"Are you seriously trying to convince us you don't like her?" Kendall asks, obviously not believing a word I'm telling him.

"Yeah."

"Okay, so what if she comes here Saturday and you find out some completely gorgeous, perfect guy just asked her out?" James asks. They weren't going to get me to crack. I wasn't going to allow it.

"Yeah!" Carlos chimes in. "What if she starts dating that friend of hers?"

Okay, maybe that would kind of bother me, but I wasn't going to admit that. And there was no way at all that I was going to admit she's all that's been on my mind this past week.

Fine- so, maybe more than a part of me likes her; but I couldn't admit that to my friends, or Brooklyn, for that matter. Besides, I really haven't thought about it yet, but I know there's a big problem that's bound to get in the way down the road.

That was a little problem I like to call **"Camille."**


	10. Unadulterated Loathing

Wooo, guys- I actually reached chapter 10! I wasn't even expecting to get this far, because I honestly didn't think I'd get such great readers. :) So, thanks for everything! Sorry it took so long...busybusybusy. I've been waiting to write this...I wanted to throw a big curveball at you guys. Heh. ^-^ Enjoy!  
- Veg  
PS, I'm getting really bored, so I think I'm gonna take the time to actually name my chapters now. o.o

* * *

I had just gotten off the phone with Brooklyn, who called for the address of where we'd be meeting today. Of course, when I blurted out that it was the Palm Woods, she kind of seemed weirded out. Not that she said anything- but I could tell by her tone. The guys just stare at me when I hang up with her. "What?" I ask, really hoping they weren't going to start nagging me again.

"Congratulations, you just might be worse at talking to girls than Carlos, and I didn't think that's possible," James bluntly states.

"Hey!" Carlos says.

"I didn't know I did anything wrong," I reply, rolling my eyes as I let myself fall to the couch.

"You talk to her like you're terrified of something," he points out. "And you're just...really awkward." I try to ignore him. "I hope you don't plan on asking her out like that."

"I hope I don't have to do it for him," Carlos snorts.

"I'm not asking her out," I say. What I really meant was, "I can't ask her out."

"You can't be serious," Kendall says with an expression that was a mixture between confusion and anger.

"I thought I told you I don't like her," I lie, once again.

"No, you told me plenty of times- I just don't believe you." I don't blame him, either- I don't believe myself.

* * *

I was honestly a little apprehensive about going to spend time with Logan and his friends today; and after I was informed that they were staying at the "Palm Woods", I really wasn't sure about even going for tutoring.

_You know what that means? A bunch of media-brainwashed mainstream tools. Oh, joy._

I spent the free time I had beforehand at the nearby bookstore (which was, coincidentally, across the street from the coffee shop), and use a few minutes to check up on my brothers. "Brooklyn!" Alex picks up the other line, sounding rather hyper.

"Uh, hey." I reply, confused. "Why are you answering the phone?"

"Um, Nick's crying right now." That one sentence makes my heart sink down into my stomach.

"Why?" I ask, unsure if I should be more worried or infuriated.

"Hold on, daddy wants to talk to you."

"Brooklyn?" I hear their father's voice frantically ask.

"Yeah- what the fuck is going on over there?"

"Your brother-"

"You mean your son-"

"-is throwing a tantrum over a fucking deck of cards or something." Oh, shit.

"What the hell did you do?" I'm sure I was getting plenty of stares right now, but my language is only necessary.

"They were all beat up, so I threw them out and got him new ones. I mean, no big deal, right?" It almost seemed like I was the adult and he was the 16-year old in our situation.

"You're so fucking stupid. Our grandfather gave-"

"Look, he's really screaming right now. I can't take this anymore. Are you gonna be home later?"

"Uh, I kind of had plans-"

"I'll be there at 6. Bye." _Oh, fuck you._

It was about another hour or so later when I left for the Palm Woods at 12:45. Supposedly, I was only five minutes away- but, knowing myself, I'd get lost.

Effortlessly, I found the Palm Woods a few minutes into my walk. Alright, maybe I didn't know myself well enough.

I let myself into the lobby and scan the crowd of kids until I find who I came for- he was over in the corner, sitting in an armchair and talking to another girl, who looked rather upset. Not wanting to interrupt them, I stand back for a few moments, until I see the brunette grab him by the shirt and pull him into a long, passionate kiss. I ignore them for a bit and try not to go in a worrying fit about what I really cared about- my brothers.

I don't take the time to approach him until the girl finally walks away, looking totally satisfied. By his facial expression, I couldn't tell if he was more upset or embarrassed. "Uh, hey," I say with an awkward wave. "Your...girlfriend?" His face completely drops.

"Who? N-no!" He replies, at a loss for words. "That was just my, uh...Camille."

Awkward silence. We're really good at those.

"So, uh, math..." I finally say, clearing my throat and claiming the nearest chair.

"Yeah, math..."

Our tutoring session couldn't have been any more uncomfortable; I honestly don't even think uncomfortable was the word to explain it. But, finally- after a bunch of my complaints and Logan's frustrated sighs- we made it through my trig homework.

* * *

I knew Camille was bound to do something to ruin this for me. Of course, she couldn't of found a more perfect time to use to "practice for her audition"- right when Brooklyn walked in, which led to her assumption that we were together, which led to an extremely awkward hour of math homework.

I couldn't wait for the guys to get me out of this one.

Although Brooklyn and I were talking less, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of formally introducing her to my friends. I don't know for sure if she was just being polite, but it actually seemed like she was having fun. I watched as she sat on the edge of the pool, letting her feet get wet as she talked to James. It was pretty obvious he was flirting with her, but it's not like I didn't expect that.

But, all good things have to come to an end, right?

Because that's when Kendall and Carlos, in the middle of some obnoxious game- that basically involved the two running around in circles- tripped over each other and knocked the two in the pool.

"Uh, sorry?" Carlos quietly apologizes and smiles innocently, unsure of what reactions he was going to get.

"Really?" James was clearly angry. "This is a new shirt!" In contrast, Brooklyn just laughs. We stare at her like she's crazy.

"What?" She asks, grabbing the side of her shirt and wringing out the water.

"It's no big deal."

"Uh, maybe we should go find you some dry clothes." I suggest as I pass her a nearby towel. She thanks me and dries her face.

"Yeah, I'll go bother Jo for something," Kendall offers.

Jo was nice enough to let Brooklyn borrow a dry shirt and sweatpants while her clothes dried, and decided to join the rest of us back in our room to watch a movie. Meanwhile, James was actually really starting to get to me. I had been watching them out of the corner of my eye- and once his arm slowly makes it's way around Brooklyn's shoulder, I felt my blood start to boil. Didn't he know that...oh.

_No, stupid; as far as he's concerned, you don't like her, considering that's what you keep telling them._

But why was she even responding to it? Brooklyn wasn't exactly the type of girl to just let a guy be all over her right away. I remember when I met her, she told me off because she thought I was hitting on her. So why was it different for him?

_Because no girl can resist the "James Diamond charm"- that's why. _

"I'm thirsty," James abruptly interrupts the most intense part in the horror movie we were watching. "Anyone want anything?" Of course, everyone blurted out something different at the same time, leaving James looking completely confused.

Brooklyn just laughs and follows him into the kitchen.

"I'll help you," she offers.

"Uh, what the heck is going on?" I whisper to Kendall once the two reach the kitchen.

"Uhh..." He points behind me, leading me to look over my shoulder at Brooklyn and James. My jaw nearly reaches the floor as I watched them.

While Brooklyn carefully places an armful of glasses on the counter, James leans over and whispers something in her ear, making her cheeks transform into a bright shade of red. As she goes on to pour a few drinks, James continues talking to her in a hushed tone while twirling a piece of her hair around his index finger. She giggles as he proceeds to steal her phone out of his pocket, play around with it for a minute, then gently place it back in her hands. When they pick up the glasses and head back over toward us, I quickly turn my attention back to the TV, getting a bad whiplash in the process.

It was a little past 5 when Brooklyn finally announced that she should be getting home. At this point, I was unable to tell if my situation was getting worse, or if I was just getting really paranoid. She had taken some time to talk to Jo, and the two were madly giggling and kept glancing back at James. Gee, I wonder what they were talking about.

"Ready to go?" James interrupts the girls' conversation. Brooklyn nods.

"I'll text you later," Jo tells her before saying goodbye.

"Wait, what?" I confusedly ask, basically having a delayed reaction to what I just heard.

"Uh, Jo's gonna text me later?" Brooklyn repeats, giving me a look like I'm crazy.

"No, not that; the other...you and James...thing." I couldn't exactly get my words out.

"Huh? Oh, he's gonna walk me home."

"Oh, uh, okay." I don't think James was getting the hint that I was infuriated with him. Brooklyn thanks me for inviting her, says goodbye to everyone else, then walks out attached to James' arm. I couldn't wait for the door to close behind them so I could finally explode. "What the heck was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" Carlos tiredly asks, mid-yawn.

"That...!" I reply, pointing towards the door, unable to get my words out.

"That...with the...James and Brooklyn!"

"What, does it bother you?" Kendall asks smugly. Great, here we go again...

"Well, uh..."

"You told us all you didn't like her, right? So why can't James?"

"Because...because he's not right for her!" I felt like I was making things up as I went along, but it was kind of true.

"Well, she can decide that for herself," Jo interjects, rolling her eyes.

"Besides, isn't Camille your girlfriend?"

"What? No!"

"That's what it looked like earlier today..." Thanks, Camille. Thanks.

* * *

HaHAA! Weren't expecting that, were ya? ^-^ Heheh...don't hate me. Pleasee.  
Anyway, I'm in a bit of a slump at the moment...anyone have any ideas of what **you'd want to happen next? THEN TELL ME. :)**


	11. I've Got Friends in Highly Low Places

Annnd here's part 11; excuse me if it's a bit of a filler, but I wanted to get it out of the way so I can finally get the next chapter in, because I've been waiting to write it.. xD

- Veg :)

* * *

Why was I even letting James bother me? I mean, I didn't think I liked Brooklyn _that_ much.

Okay, yes I do, and I have no idea why. She's loud and aggressive. She's, by far, the most stubborn person I've ever met. She's careless, bossy and actually pretty violent. She's quicker to explode than a quarter of a stick of dynamite. No matter what, she always has a smart-ass comeback for everything. What was there to even admire?

_Everything. Everything you can't get out of your head._

She was able to say the most absurd things with a straight face. She'd scrunch up her nose whenever she laughed, which honestly happened a lot more than anyone would expect. She liked to drum her fingers on the nearest surface when she was frustrated and would purse her lips together when she was annoyed. She'd always start skipping out of nowhere while she was walking, and I loved when she'd be deep in thought and would start humming sweetly to herself while running her fingers through her brown waves. These were the little things I loved that never left my mind, and they drove me absolutely insane.

"If you'd just admit you like her, I'm sure James would stop," Kendall tells me, interrupting my train of thought while we took our break from rehearsing with Gustavo. Next week was our big show in Vegas, and Gustavo was about to explode with frustration.

"What are you talking about?" I grumble before taking a gulp of water.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Well, why are you bringing it up now?" I ask in a quieter tone once James joins us again.

"Because it's bothering you," he replies like it's obvious. "What will it take for you to at least admit that?"

"I already told you it did. James is going to completely clash with her." Kendall shrugs.

"What do you care?_ You don't like her._" I was about to start an argument that I had no chance of winning, but was cut off by my ringing phone. I don't bother to see who it is and take a step away from my friend.

"Hello?" I ask.

"I'm just calling to tell you how much I love you right now," Brooklyn's voice tells me on the other end.

"Uh, what?" I ask, clearly confused. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Shouldn't you?" She repeats back. I could just picture her rolling her big, brown eyes at me. "I'm in lunch, anyway, not that it really matters. But guess what?" She sounded overly excited.

"What?"

"You are, by far, the best teacher I've ever had."

"Uh, can't you just give me a straight answer?" I confusedly ask, trying to laugh it off. My friends give me a weird look from across the room.

"I got a B on my math test!" Her shout was so loud I had to bring the phone away from my ear. But, I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, glad I'm doing something right." I then got what seemed like a good idea at the time. "What do you say we celebrate this weekend, then?" She just laughs, probably at the fact that I sounded ridiculously corny.

"Sounds like a plan; what day?"

"Uhh," I quickly try to collect my thoughts, not thinking I'd actually get this far. "How about Friday night?"

"Friday night? Umm..." She took a moment to think. "Oh, wait, I can't- my date with James is Friday." I tried my hardest not to go up to James right there and shove him out the nearest window. "What about Saturday?"

"Uh, yeah...Saturday's fine." I refrain from sounding completely annoyed.

* * *

Once I hung up with Logan, I resumed marking up my copy of _Julius Caesar_ for my literary analysis, not noticing my friends awaiting expressions. "So..." Pat finally says after a moment of silence. Annoyed, I look up from my book. "You know, you're probably the only person I know who actually wants to do that paper."

"Yeah, and?" I ask, scribbling a note in the margin; thank god I took the time to buy my own copy. "Mutilating Shakespeare is actually quite entertaining."

"So, do you have a date with your tutor or something this weekend?" He smugly questions. I roll my eyes.

"No, I actually have a date with one of his friends," I lightly interject. "Logan has a girlfriend... Well, I assume he does."

"Who's completely okay with all the time you two have been spending together?" I shrug.

"I guess she has to suck it up." I stick a note card in my book and slam it shut, knowing my friends weren't going to let me get any more work done.

"You should invite these guys over on Sunday," my other friend, Kevin suggests, twirling a piece of his shaggy brown hair around his finger. My only assumption was that he was stoned out of his mind. On Sunday, my rather small group of friends was coming over to set up the fire pit in the backyard and just hang out. "They sound...entertaining."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea." I just laugh, thinking of how much our two groups would clash.

"Why?"

"Well..." I sigh and bite my lower lip, thinking of how to explain the outcome to him. "Let's just say they're a bunch of prudes and I don't want to permanently scare them off." Pat, unable to contain himself, howls with laughter. I just roll my eyes. "I knew you'd get a kick of out that."

"Yeah, sorry, Brooklyn- it sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun this weekend." His tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Just, please...don't turn in to one of those goody-two-shoes, alright?"

"Yeah, because us theatre kids are so badass, right?" I scoff.

"Clearly more badass than your little Palm Woods boy-band."

I couldn't wait for the bell to ring so I could get the hell out of there and on to my next art class- I needed an artistic relief from my heavily academic morning.

Once I got to my color & 2D design class, I finally got the requirements for my midterm project that I'd be working on for the next month. As I brainstormed ideas in my sketchbook, it seemed there was one face that kept popping up in my head: Logan's. It was actually starting to creep me out.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something about him that was just picture-perfect- no corny art student pun intended. Maybe it was his sickeningly flawless smile or innocent brown eyes; I had no idea. But, they somehow found their way on the rough draft on their project. When I had the time, I pulled out my phone, kept it hidden under my desk, then shoot Logan a quick text: _Willing to help me with another subject when you get the chance?_


	12. Life's More Painless for the Brainless

Annnd here's part 12...I was just having a fight with myself on whether I should combine this with the next chapter or not...I didn't, because I'm in one of those weird slumpy moods. So...here ya go.

- Veg

* * *

It was completely dark out, and I was on the beach. Brooklyn walked beside me, our fingers loosely laced in-between each other's. "Your hands are freezing," she points out with a smile, tightening her grip. I just laugh and teasingly place my free hand against her neck, making her cringe from the harsh coldness. "Stop it!" She demands, playfully bumping in to me. It was silent for a few more moments, but not awkwardly like our silences normally were; it was because neither of us even felt the need to talk. I watched Brooklyn as we continued our barefoot walk in the sand. The light wind blew her hair in every direction, giving me the obligation to move a piece of it out of her face. In return, she looks up at me with her big, brown eyes and flashes me a nervous smile. Unsure of exactly what I was doing, I let myself fall down in the sand and easily drag her down with me.

"Did you have fun tonight?" I ask, staring out at the pitch-black ocean.

"Not at all," she smugly replies, laying back in the sand and tugging my arm to bring me back with her.

"No need to be a smart ass," I shoot back, rolling my eyes. She just giggles and pushes my shoulder.

"You know me; I just had to ruin the moment." She scoots in closer toward me as I loosely wrap my arms around her waist. "I'm just sorry we didn't do this sooner." I chuckle in return.

"Yeah, me too." I stare at her for a moment, unsure of what to do until I finally notice our faces moving closer and closer together. Before I knew it, my lips crash against hers as she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck. The corners of her mouth twitch into a small smile as she slowly pulls away.

"Logan..." She says in a hushed tone. I give her a questioning look, and she just repeats herself. "Logan..."

**"LOGAN!"** Brooklyn's sweet voice suddenly turned in to my three friends yelling. It was all just a dream.

_Of course it was... God forbid that actually happen to me._

"Whaaat?" I groan, burying my head in my pillow.

"C'mooon!" Carlos says, shaking me childishly. "We have to be out of here in 10!" I glance over at the clock- it wasn't even 8 yet. I already felt Gustavo's wrath for rehearsal today. It was going to be absolute torture.

And I was right. Gustavo had us rehearsing almost nonstop from 8:30 to 4, until Kelly finally stepped in as our savior and said he was being inhumane. Once we got comfortable in the car, I wouldn't be surprised if we fell asleep in there.

"So...much...yelling..." Carlos whines, completely falling over in his seat. We all just groan in agreement.

"Just one more week..." Kendall reminds us. He was trying to be optimistic, but obviously another week of this was nowhere near the bright side.

* * *

It was around 4:30, and I had just come straight home from a short rehearsal to drop the boys off at their grandmother's. After what happened last weekend, they wouldn't be spending the next few days with their father.

I sat on my couch, bundled up in my sweatshirt and pajama pants- it was freezing both outside and in the house. At this point, I was so comfortable watching _Fight Club_ for the eight hundredth time- I wasn't even in the mood to go out tonight. That would require actually having to make an effort to look attractive.

I continued to procrastinate getting ready, too involved in my movie. "_Man, I see in fight club, the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived_." I recite out loud to myself. Like I said, I've seen this movie eight hundred times. "_I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God dammit, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables- slaves with white..._" I get quiet once I hear a chuckle coming from the doorway.

"Brooklyn?" I hear a voice ask. "What...are you doing?" I quickly turn around, only to see James, standing behind the screen door- I obviously left the actual door open. No wonder why I was so cold...

"Shit!" I say, jumping up to let him in. "I lost track of time..." He just laughs.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Uh, just give me five minutes! Not even!" I tell him as I eagerly rush back to my room. God, I'm a fucking idiot.

"Oh, please," he shouts down the hallway. "I couldn't even do that!"

* * *

I was impatiently watching the clock- it was already past 8. James left three hours ago, and I was getting paranoid. Where did he take her? What were they doing? How was James even managing to keep up with her? Was it all going well?

"Do you know where he took her?" I finally ask out loud.

"Huh?" Kendall and Carlos mindlessly ask, paying more attention to the TV.

"James...where did he take her?" I repeat. They didn't seem to care much.

"I don't know," Carlos says in a monotone, completely engrossed in whatever they were watching.

"Why do you care so much?" Kendall asks, mid-yawn.

"Uh...I don't." I lie. Kendall and Carlos sigh in unison and turn the TV off.

"You're getting really annoying with this, dude." They sharply glance behind their shoulders when the door creaks open- James was finally home. My friends give him a questioning, "Hey..." when they notice the smug look on his face.

"So, how'd it go...?" Carlos asks, suspiciously.

"What?" James asks as he takes a seat. "Oh, right... Well, she's really..." He takes a moment to find the appropriate word.

"She's really what...?" Kendall asks.

"Weird." He finally blurts out. We all just look at him, confused. "What? I mean, she wouldn't even let me kiss her!"

"You...tried to kiss her...?" I question with clenched teeth, trying to stay as calm as possible. He shot me a look that basically said, "Uh, obviously."

"Then why do you seem so...happy?" Kendall changes the subject, trying to avoid some type of explosion.

"Huh? Oh, I just got a date with some new girl I met in the lobby." He replies before standing up and heading back to his room. The three of us just sit there in silence, probably all wondering how he manages to be so careless. I subconsciously pull my phone out of my pocket, only to find a text and missed call.

_Brooklyn: God dammit, answer your phone._

Gee, I wonder who called.

I take the time to step out in the hallway before dialing her number. "What kind of cruel, sick joke was that?" Brooklyn's voice says immediately after the first ring.

"What...?" I ask. She was really good at confusing me with her indirect questions.

"Why the hell did you let me go out with James?" I tried my hardest not to smile, even though she couldn't see me.

"Why?" I ask, actually trying to sound concerned. "What happened?"

"He's a fucking idiot, that's all!" I refrained from bursting out into laughter.

"Oh, god...what did he do?"

"Let's just say he isn't as charming when you find out he's a fucking moron."

"What did he do?" I was seriously concerned now. Brooklyn just sighs.

"I don't even want to repeat some of the things he said...it'll easily knock twenty points of my IQ." Sounds just like James. "Look...I'll bitch to you tomorrow, since you didn't stop me from going." I just laugh, obviously getting a kick out of this. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself!"

"Sorry," I say, calming down. "I just can't wait to hear this story now..."


	13. Count on You

Soo, no reviews on the last chapter. That makes me sad. Really sad. I barely had enough motivation to write this one. o.o Yeah, I realize how pathetic that sounds.

- Veg

_

* * *

Another day, another 8 hours of torture._

"Why's he so...yell-y?" Carlos questions once we finally get a break. He was referring to the fact that Gustavo was louder and angrier than usual today. Kelly just sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Well, Jordin Sparks cancelled her performance for Saturday-" She explains as everyone's faces completely drop, knowing what was coming next. "-which means you boys won't be able to do your final song with her." Everyone lets out a deep, disappointed sigh. Yup, that was it. "And now Griffin's upset, because he had his mind set on you boys performing with her...and now Gustavo's mad because he lives to please Griffin."

We all let out a quiet, "Oh..." expect for Carlos, whose face completely lights up. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified for his new idea.

"What if we know someone else who can sing it?" He asks, hopefully. We all just turn to him, obviously confused.

"As good as Jordin Sparks?" Kelly replies with another question, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Even better." He sounded completely sure of himself.

"And who exactly might this be?" I finally chime in. He turns to me and smiles childishly.

"Brooklyn!" I wasn't exactly sure how to react to that one. I know Brooklyn is an amazing singer and obviously used to performing, and it actually would be amazing to have her sing with us. But, on top of that, she's a lot more serious and professional in everything she does, and that obviously doesn't include a pop-styled duet with a teenage boy band.

"Uh...I don't know," I say, actually feeling bad when I see my friend's hopeful faces. "I don't think she'd do it."

"Would it kill you to ask?" Kendall inquires, probably getting annoyed with me again.

I think about his question for a minute before finally answering, "Knowing her, it probably would." Without a word, Kendall rolls his eyes, and then proceeds to snatch my phone out of my hands. "Hey! What're you-" He makes his outside then slams the door behind him. He returns a few minutes later.

"She'll be here shortly," he informs us with a satisfied smile, handing me back my phone.

"What'd you tell her?" I nervously question.

"That we're having an emergency, need her here ASAP and a driver will be over in a few to bring her over," he says like its no big deal.

"And she didn't question you?" I ask, suspiciously.

"Well, she was obviously confused, but no."

Brooklyn arrived within the next fifteen minutes while we were in the middle of getting screamed at some more. I will never doubt the power of Kendall.

Carlos immediately runs up to her, falls to his knees, and tightly hugs her legs. "Brooklyn!" He dramatically calls out. "Pleeease sing with us! We neeeed you!" She awkwardly stares down at him.

"Uh, hi, Carlos?" She unsurely replies, patting his head. She then tries to squirm out of his grip.

"Uh, hey, Brooklyn," Kendall says with a wave. "Thanks for coming-"

"Okay, can you please tell me what the hell is going on now?" She was starting to look annoyed.

"Uh, okay," I start, getting ready to explain for my friends as fast as possible. "Well, we're scheduled to play this huge festival in Vegas next weekend and Jordin Sparks was supposed to play, but she cancelled for some reason, which really sucks for us because we recorded this song with her that we were gonna perform and now we can't because she's not gonna be there and now Griffin's mad, which make Gustavo mad and when Gustavo's mad, he takes it out on us, so we figured maybe it would make us all happy if we had someone just as talented sing the song with us." Finally, I gasp for air. Brooklyn still looked completely confused.

"Uh, what...?" She wrinkles her forehead- another habit she had that I always noticed. "Kendall made it sound like someone was dying on the phone."

"We need you to sing with us!" Carlos repeats.

"Okay, so let me get this straight..." She says. "You guys want me to take time out of my schedule that I can barely manage already to go through all this rehearsing and then drive four hours to Vegas with you so I can go and sing one song for you guys for a bunch of mainstream idiots?" We all hesitate before nodding, realizing that it all sounded even dumber out loud.

"Please?" We all pathetically beg.

"You get a free trip to Vegas out of it..." Kendall adds in. Brooklyn lets out a deep sigh in return.

"You know, if anyone else asked this of me, I'd refuse them right away..." She starts, and everyone's faces go blank. "But you guys look so helplessly pathetic..." She shakes her head and takes another deep breath. "This is totally against everything I stand for, but...fine."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" We all exclaim, pulling her into a tight group hug.

"Uh-huh," she says, taking a step back from us. Kendall grabs her arm and pulls her forward, placing her in front of Gustavo.

"Gustavo, Brooklyn," he introduces. "Brooklyn, Gustavo."

"Uh, you're telling me this little dogette is singing my Jordin Sparks song? I don't think so." He says, obviously not encouraged in any way by Brooklyn's presence. She just rolls her eyes.

"And you're telling me you don't think I can't sing any better than your computerized pop star? I don't think so." Maybe this is why I get so intimidated by Brooklyn- she was like the teenage girl version of Gustavo.

"I already don't like her," Gustavo says, turning toward us. "Get her out of here."

"Wait..!" I quickly reply, realizing that Brooklyn was really our only hope.

"Please, Gustavo...just let her sing for you. I promise you won't be disappointed."

"And what if I am?" He was in no mood for us, that was for sure.

"You won't be." Gustavo grunts- a noise that scares us all because we actually never heard it- and shuffles through a pile of papers until he finds the sheet music. I get nervous once he hands it to her. "Uh, can we have some time to teach her the song?" She just stares at me with a blank expression.

"What kind of musician do you think I am?" She asks, flatly. "I'm not stupid; I can read music." Gustavo actually looked surprised. My friends and I turn away in embarrassment, all knowing that we could still barely read our sheet music.

* * *

"_Now I'm about to give you my heart, so remember this one thing-" _I sing the last line of my song for Gustavo Rocque, who's expression was difficult to read, "-_I've never been in love before, so you gotta go easy on me…"_ I refrain from rolling my eyes at the fact that this song looks like it came directly out of one of the "Sight-Reading for Beginners" books I used when I started singing six years ago. I felt like I was repeatedly singing the same three notes the whole time, just in a different order every few measures.

"Alright," Gustavo says, looking disappointed at the fact that he was just proved wrong. "Fine. She can sing with you boys." The guys cheer in excitement and engulf me in another one of their uncomfortable group hugs.

"Please…" I say, taking a step back. "Stop touching me."  
Unfortunately, I had to stay for the rest of their rehearsal to work on the song. Gustavo seemed to be just as bad as any director I've ever worked with- nothing was ever good enough for him. Of course, on top of that, we didn't get along at all, due to our similar personalities leading us to bump heads way too often. The guys seemed to get a kick out of it, though.

"So, wasn't that awkward for you?" Logan asks as he leads me in our walk to wherever he planned on taking me to. "You know, with James?"

"Well, why do you think I kept backing away from you guys?" I ask, rolling my eyes. He lets out a laugh that completely melts my heart.

_Oh my god, stop it. You sound ridiculous._

"Well, what exactly happened last night?"

"Oh my god," I couldn't wait to let this out. "He's so fucking stupid!"

"Well, yeah," Logan replies. "I could've told you that much."

"Well, why didn't you?" I ask, crossing my arms. "I mean, he really _is_ an idiot."

"What did he do…?" Logan questions, looking a little nervous for my reply.

"Well, for starters, he asked me if Andrea Bocelli was a pasta dish," I explain. It was almost painful to repeat. "And if anarchy was a level on some video game." Logan looked as if he were trying his hardest to contain his laughter. I sigh. "I know."

"Okay, so it was worse than I thought…"

"Yeah, thanks." I say, rolling my eyes. Time to change the topic. "So, where are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see," he replies with a smile.


	14. Stuck in a Moment

Heyheyheyheyhey. Sorry this one took so long, and that it's kind of that cute, fluffy, gag-worthy goodness I normally can't stand...my life is getting pretty busy. :PP  
_AND BEFORE I GO ON, I WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS CHAPTER TO TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE-_  
**losingmymind3696:** 9 of my 21 reviews are from you. I don't think that needs any further explanation, and **Oreo-Child:** The fact that you take time to write me extra long reviews, and provide me with new ideas, just makes me really happy. So thanks.  
Ohh, BTDubs, I've noticed there are quite a few of you who have this on your alert list, but have yet to review...but please do so! **Invisible readers make me sad! :( **K...I'm done, I promise.

- Veg :)

* * *

I stare down at the uncomfortable, beat-up ice skate on my foot and let out a loud huff. The things were almost impossible to lace. "Need some help?" Logan asks with a smirk that I wanted to smack right off his face. I hated looking stupid.

"No," I lie, tangling my fingers in the laces again. "I'll get it...eventually." He rolls his eyes at me and gets down on one knee to lace up my skate. "So, would you like to explain this all to me?"

"Well," he starts, obviously getting ready to mock me. "This is an ice skate. You see-" Not cool- being the smart-ass was my job.

"Oh, shut up," I cut him off. "I mean... Why exactly are we here again?" I lean over to put my other skate on, then let him lace it up. If I looked like an idiot, then so be it.

"I just thought we could do something fun." He shrugs and I take a second to scan the area; it was almost empty. "You've never been here before?" I shake my head as I struggle to stand up in my skates. Obviously terrified of me falling, Logan's first instinct was to grab both of my hands. Smart kid.

"Nope. The first and last time I went ice skating, I was about seven and spent half of the time on my face." I admit, thinking back to that awful mishap at Rockefeller Center when I was a kid.

"Well, here's something you probably wouldn't have guessed, but-" I was quick to cut him off with a smart-ass comment.

"What, about the double life you lead as a figure skater?" I smugly question. He stares at me blankly for a moment, but unable to contain himself, eventually bursts out into laughter.

"No," he explains, rolling his eyes. "Back in Minnesota-" What the hell- Minnesota? "-the guys and I were actually pretty awesome hockey players."

"You're from Minnesota?" I just roll my eyes. "No wonder why I clash with you guys so much."

"Hey," he takes the first step on the ice in front of me. "Sorry we're not used to the angsty California musician," he mocks me and I scoff in return.

"You mean bitchy New Yorker," I correct him. "I only moved here a few years ago." His face actually looked surprised.

"Really?" I just laugh while he helps me onto the ice. I hold onto the wall for dear life, completely terrified of breaking my leg. "Like, the city?"

"Logan...what's my name?" I ask, thinking that it all should be completely obvious by now.

"Brook- oh, wait..." He laughs; finally making the connection that I was named after the city I grew up in. "I thought you had a weird accent for awhile," he teases. I attempt to push him over, but letting go of the rail wasn't a very good idea, because it led me to fall over. "Watch what you're doing!" He laughs grabs my hands and pulls me back up.

* * *

I was reluctant to let go of Brooklyn's hands after her dramatic fall. I watched as she carefully moved her hands along the railing, trying her hardest not to slip again as she shuffled her skates, barely moving ahead. "C'mon," I say, gently grabbing her arm. "You can't spend this whole time on the wall." She tries to twist her arm out of my grip, but I just tighten it as I pry her off and away from the wall.

"I swear to god, Logan," she says. "If I die-"

"Oh my god," I mock her, rolling my eyes as I pull her out towards the center. "Just come on; I promise I won't let you fall."

With the way Brooklyn was squeezing my hand, you'd think I had her dangling over a cliff. "You have to actually lift your skates," I point out while chuckling at the way she was shuffling behind me. "It'll help you move faster." She moves closer toward me and grabs a hold of my arm.

"Are you trying to kill me?" She asks, clinging on to me. I smile to myself and adjust into her grip, enjoying our situation. "This isn't funny! How the hell do you do it?"

"Well, for starters, let go of my arm," I unwillingly tell her. Her eyes widen and I can't help but laugh at how scared she looks. She lets go of my arm, immediately slowing down. I move ahead of her and turn around so we're facing each other. "Here," I put out my hands for her and start to skate backward, pulling her along with me.

"Ohmygodbecareful!" She nervously says, squeezing my hands once again.

"You need to calm down... Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

"It's already happened- I lose all my dignity and become a pathetic mess." She pauses for a moment, and then adds in, "Or I could break a bone and be screwed for my show in two weeks."

"Just trust me," I reassure her. "Now, can I let go?" She vigorously shakes her head.

"No!" It took about another twenty minutes for her to let me do so, but it wasn't like I really minded.

* * *

"You'll eventually get better," Logan explains as he takes a seat next to me on the couch. After our lovely little ice skating incident, he took me down the street to the oh-so familiar (and surprisingly empty) coffee shop just before it started pouring rain outside. "Next time, you probably won't even have to cling on to anything," he smugly adds in as he hands me the paper cup filled with hot tea.

"Who said there's gonna be a next time?" I tease, blowing the steam off of my drink. He just flashes me that perfectly dazzling smile and I feel my heart turn into mush in my chest.

_Shut up, shut up, __**SHUT UP!**_ I can't turn into one of them- one of those stereotypical pathetically venerable little girls who dream of their "prince charming" coming out of nowhere and completely sweeping them off their feet. No, I won't turn into one of them, because I know that will never happen. I don't have time for boys, relationships...love...

"Don't act like you didn't have fun." Logan playfully shoves my shoulder. He was lucky an ocean of hot tea didn't fly out of my cup and onto his face.

"Don't flatter yourself, hun." While we took a moment of silence, I glance out the window at the rain. It was coming down harder by the second, leaving me to wonder how and when I was going to get home. "So, how'd you guys end up here, anyways?" I don't bother taking my eyes off the window; I was kind of in one of those moods to go run around outside and get completely soaked. Logan just laughs to himself and shakes his head.

"Well...let's just say James and Kendall got us in to this big mess at the audition with Gustavo...but he apparently liked Kendall, who refused to go anywhere without us, and now here we are." He just shrugs like it wasn't a big deal. "What about you?"

"Step-dad had to move here for his job," I explain, rolling my eyes. It made my stomach churn just thinking about it.

"You miss New York, don't you?" For a smart kid, Logan asked a lot of stupid questions.

"Of course. Don't you ever miss Minnesota?" As stupid as it sounded, anyone was bound to miss their home, even if it was in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, yeah... None of us really had any plans of turning into pop stars- well, except for James." I just roll my eyes- how typical. The funny thing is that he definitely isn't the best singer out of the four of them. "Were you always in to performing?"

"Oh yeah," I reply, nodding. "I mean, I don't have any athletic capability, in case you haven't noticed already, so I had to find something else to keep me occupied."

"Well, I hope you know you make me feel embarrassed to even walk into that recording studio every day." I quirk an eyebrow and shoot him a questioning look. "I mean, you've obviously worked for years to get where you are now, and you happen to be an amazing singer." I can't tell if he's flirting with me or just being his usual sweet self. "My friends and I came out of nowhere, got signed by some big record company, and still can't learn a song without Gustavo breaking down every part for us." Part of me wished it were the first option.

**STOP IT!** You don't like him. You don't like him. _God dammit, you don't like him!_

"Well, for a bunch of not-musicians, I still think you guys are pretty good," I assure him. He just laughs again; I can't understand why he always does that, because I'm really not funny.

"I think I'll take that as a compliment."

"I think you should. That's probably the nicest thing that will ever come out of my mouth." It was so true. The two of us sit in another moment of silence, listening to the rain pour down harder and harder on the roof of the building.

"Doesn't sound like it's clearing up any time soon," Logan hints, showing me his smile yet again.

"I don't mind." I really didn't, no matter how cheesy-80's-chick-flick-gag-worthy it sounded. "This is kind of nice." Logan's arm slowly made it's way around my shoulder. I completely froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. I didn't want to just completely shrug it off- he wasn't James or some other useless tool that saw me as nothing more than a pretty face. But, I wasn't sure I wanted this kind of relationship with Logan; I didn't want to ruin the friendship we just established. I guess I was kind of over-thinking this, huh?

I decided to leave it as it was, taking the time to enjoy the fact that I can actually hold a conversation with Logan. He made me sorry I ever let James charm me into going on a date with him.

That was, of course, until an image I tried to forget popped up in my head: last weekend, when that pretty little brunette pulled Logan into that long, romantic kiss.

Maybe Logan wasn't any different than I thought he was.

* * *

It was still raining when I walked Brooklyn home from the coffee shop about an hour later. It had significantly died down a bit, but we were still getting wet.

The two of us closely walked together with my jacket over our heads until we reached her front doorstep. "Thanks, Logan," Brooklyn says, smiling sweetly. "This was fun."

"Any time," I reply, returning a smile and while gently grabbing her hand. In return, she nervously lets go. I stare down at her for a moment, unsure of exactly what to do. Before I knew it, I found myself slowly but surely moving in closet and closer toward her, until...

Brooklyn takes a small step back into her open doorway. "Night, Logan," she says before gently closing the door.

I guess this was how James felt last night.

* * *

**Ideas for next chapter, pretty please? :)**


	15. I Can't Forget About You

Thanks so much for your reviews on the last chapter, guys. They made me super happy. ^-^ And thanks so much for you inputs for this chapter! They realllyyy helped, hence why I updated so fast. xD  
-VEG :)  
ps: if anyone gets Gustavo's awful theatre mix-up, you're my new best friend. :)

* * *

Brooklyn and I sat in a dimmed, empty room together in front of a large window, looking out at the pouring rain. The two of us were rather close with one blanket draped over us. Her head rested on my shoulder and her fingers were laced in between mine, with the only sounds of the ticking clock and the water droplets roughly spilling down on the window. It was one of those moments I wanted to freeze and stay in forever. "Logan," Brooklyn breaks our silence as she plays with my fingers. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," I tell her. She picks up her head and looks me straight in the eye, but it was still obvious she was nervous.

"Never mind," she says so faintly I'm barely able to make it out while embarrassedly turning her head in the other direction.

"Tell me," I softly whisper in her ear. She just shakes her head. "Please? Now I really want to know." I loosely sling my arms around her shoulders and plant a gentle kiss on her cheek, immediately feeling her whole face heating up. "Oh, come on..." She whispers something that I'm unable to understand. "What?"

"I love you," she repeats, just a little louder this time. Completely unsure of how to react, I just blankly stare at her, probably looking like a complete moron. "I knew I shouldn't have-"

"N-no, no! That's...I..." I take a deep breath and collect my thoughts while Brooklyn nervously stares at me. Once I'm together again, I just smile at her and push a piece of hair away from her eye, then gently hold her face in between my hands. "I love you, Brooklyn. Ever since we met...you're all I think about. It's impossible to get you out of my mind. I'm absolutely madly in love with you." Everything on her face stays the same, except her eyes that light up brighter than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. I gently pull her face closer to mine, bringing our lips together for a slow, passionate kiss. I feel the corners of her lips twitch in a small smile as she reaches up and tangles her fingers in my hair, then falls on her back, bringing me on top of her. Our kiss becomes more heated as she begins to slide her hands up my shirt...

_Beep...beep...beep..._

Oh, good morning, alarm clock; thanks for ruining this for me. Good night, dreams; thanks for taunting me while I try to sleep.

Brooklyn's name never left my mind. It was kind of like the pathetic obsession a kid gets over their first crush... But, since I was older, it was probably a lot less cute and a lot more creepy. I couldn't take my eyes off her during rehearsal. It was so cute the way over-annunciated her vowels when she sang. Clearly, Gustavo disagreed. "More pop star, less professional!" Gustavo demands. Brooklyn furrows her brow at his statement.

"So, you're telling me pop stars aren't professionals?" She asks, smugly. "Not that I disagree-"

"Can I go one sentence without you interrupting me?" He angrily replies with another question. "Look, you're replacing a pop singer, here. This isn't one of your showtune-y _Thoroughly Dolly Pacific_ shows." Kelly just laughs, the only one who understands his lousy theatre reference. Brooklyn dramatically puts a hand over her chest.

"That was like a knife to my heart," she tells him. Gustavo just rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"I can't wait till this is over and done with," he grumbles. "The last thing I want to deal with is a fifth girl dog." Brooklyn just scoffs in return.

"Hey, this isn't exactly heaven for me, either."

"Alright, just shut up and do it again."

And again. And again. And again. And again. I swear, if I have to listen to that song one more time, I'll explode.

"Hey," I say, catching Brooklyn before she leaves. "Don't you want a ride home?"

"Huh?" She asks. She looked like something was bothering her. It was kind of weird how easy she was to read at this point. "Oh, no thanks. I'm gonna walk."

"You sure?" I question, arching an eyebrow at her. She nods. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shrugs. I knew she wasn't.

"Need someone to talk to?" I hope she didn't find me coming across too pushy, but I was honestly worried. If there was one emotion I've never seen Brooklyn portray, it was sadness. I've seen her angry, happy, worried- but never sad.

"I'll be fine," was her quiet reply. "See you later, Logan." She starts to walk away, but I make her turn around when I ask my last question.

"Wait! Uh, are we still on for meeting tomorrow night?" Although she was making progress, Brooklyn still needed a lot more help with her math class.

"Uh, I don't know." She runs her fingers through a section of her hair as she stares down at her feet. "I have to babysit, and..." She bites her lower lip. "Maybe you should take Camille out, instead

I silently watch her walk away, completely speechless.

* * *

There was one face I couldn't get out of my mind today: **Camille's**, AKA the pretty little brunette who I saw kiss Logan last week. God, she looked so hopelessly pathetic when she confronted me earlier. It made me feel awful.

"You must be Brooklyn," she told me once she overheard me tell the angry manager of the Palm Woods that I was just "meeting someone in the lobby." I nodded, unsure of how to react to the widened, sad eyes she was giving me. "I'm Camille." She held out her hand for me to shake, which I awkwardly grabbed in return.

"Oh, wait!" I said once I finally realized where I recognized her from. "You're Logan's girlfriend, right?" Her forehead scrunched up as she shot me a questioning look.

"Is that what he told you...?" She asked.

"Well, no," was my reply. "But I just assumed after I saw you two last weekend..." I bit my lower lip, not really wanting to remember the scene.

"Oh, well, I'm not..." She looked upset. "And since you two have been spending so much time together, I'm only assuming-" I sighed and cut her off.

"Look, Camille, I know you like him," I reluctantly told her. "And I respect that. Don't worry about me getting in the way of anything." I swallowed a lump in my throat, then said, "Logan and I are just friends, and I plan to keep it that way." After all, the happiness of others came way before my own.

I wanted to forget about Logan and definitely wanted to forget about Camille. Rehearsal was over for the day and my friends and I sat huddled around our fire pit. I had time to relax and not worry about anything. "I can't believe you told her that," Pat interjects, rolling his eyes. Okay, or not; leave it to Pat to be the first one to bring it up. I just shrug in return.

"It's no big deal," I lie. "I mean...I really don't have any time for a relationship. You of all people should know that." He gets up, stands behind me and starts to rub my shoulders.

"You've got to relax, girl," he says. "Maybe a relationship is what you need right now. Someone should worry about you for once." My friends all agree with him.

"I've got just the thing for you," Kevin says with a mischievous smile as he reaches down into his black messenger bag. I roll my eyes and shake my head, knowing what he was probably going to try and push on me.

"For the last time, Kev- I'm a _singer_. Pot is the absolute last thing I need." Instead, he pulls out a translucent white bottle with the words, "**ABSOLUT CITRON**" printed in bright yellow letters. I just smile to myself.

"Okay, now _that's_ more like it." I bring the newly opened bottle to my lips, letting the tangy liquid penetrate my tongue, then pass it around to my circle of friends.

"So, are we talking about your hot math tutor or his equally hot friend?" Maggie asks, running her fingers through her bright red hair.

"Her hot tutor," Pat answers for me. "But, speaking of his friend..." Pat once again flashes me his childish, mischievous smile. "Would you consider giving him a second chance?" I roll my eyes and grab the vodka bottle out of Maggie's hands before she even gets her sip. I quickly take another big gulp before handing it back to her. "Jesus Christ..."

"Can we please talk about something else?"

"No!" They all say at once.

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about a boy before," Maggie points out. "This is an exciting day for all of us."

"She has a point. Anyway..." Pat starts again. "I think you should go out with his friend again. If he really likes you, it'll drive him nuts." I sigh at the fact that my friends never pay any mind to anything I ask of them.

"I'm not looking to make anyone jealous here." Although, it did sound like a good idea; hey, revenge is a bitch.

"Well, you should," he suggests. "You know what? Fuck it. You don't have a choice." He then proceeds to snatch my phone out of my hands and run away. I just sigh, too lazy to get up and chase him. He hands it back to me a moment later, with a new text sent to James:

_What're you doing tomorrow night?_

_

* * *

_For some reason, this chapter seems so short. o.o I dunno why. ANYWAY, next chapter is Vegas, so I promise to work on it all week and make it extraextra long and beautiful and wonderful for you! **Inputs/ideas** are always welcome. :)


	16. Irresponsibly Mad For You

So, I'm an awful person. Really. I wanted to combine this chapter with the next, but I then realized I'm really good at filling Word documents with nonsense, so I technically lied to you. xD  
-VEG

* * *

I was dying to know what exactly was going on with Brooklyn and I, and how she even found out about Camille. Luckily, I had access to one source that was unexpectedly a lot of help. That was Jo. "Maybe you should call her," I suggest, tightly pursing my lips together. I wanted to know what exactly was going on, but I was scared of the truth. Jo sighs and pulls out her phone.

"If you weren't such a chicken to begin with, we wouldn't be having his problem," she mumbles while pressing the phone to her ear. Kendall chuckles and wraps his arms around her. "Hey, Brooklyn!" She changes her tone suddenly. "Uh, nothing really; I was just wondering if you wanted to come hang out with Kendall, Logan and me or something." I shoot her a look, wondering what she's doing. She mouths the words, "I don't know!" and shrugs her shoulders. "Oh, you have a date tonight?" I feel my heart sink down into my stomach. "Who with?" Jo's eyes nearly pop out of her head when she gets an answer. "You're kidding me, right? I thought it didn't work out with you two." She pauses when Brooklyn gives her a reply. "Why?" Meanwhile, Kendall gives me the sympathetic head shake. "What ever happened with you and Logan?" Obviously, I screwed something up. "You can't be serious. Camille? Look, I know she has a little crush on him-" Yeah, really. "-okay, a big crush on him, but he doesn't like her like that." She then lowers her voice and adds in, "He likes you." She glances over at me, looking a little upset, and sighs. "Alright, bye."

"Well...?" I reluctantly ask once she hangs up. Although, I honestly wasn't mentally prepared for her answer.

"Well..." She starts, biting down on her lower lip. "I don't know how to put this..." I just stare at her blankly until she finally blurts out, "She has another date with James tonight."

"What?" Kendall and I ask at the same time.

"But she...he...she didn't...!" Although I couldn't get my words out, Jo understands exactly what I mean and shakes her head.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

"Ow!" I complain when Maggie holds her curling iron too close to my scalp. "Are you almost done?" My second date with James was in about a half hour, and Maggie and Pat were refusing to let me pull the "I'm gonna get ready last minute" card.

"Just chill out; we've still got a few minutes," she says, spraying another section of my hair. "Besides, we have to make this kid fall in love with you all over again, considering you fucked it up last time."

"I didn't fuck it up," I correct her, glaring in the bathroom mirror. "He was fucking stupid."

"I found your outfit!" I hear Pat shout from down the hall. While Maggie worked on making my hair presentable, Pat was searching through my closet for an outfit to go with it. If he didn't hook up with so many girls, you'd think he'd grow up to be a gay fashion designer. I was a little scared to see his choice.

"Bring it over!" Maggie shouts back. Within seconds, Pat brings himself to the bathroom doorway with a dress in his hands. It was strapless and pink on the top and tight, ruffled and gray on the bottom. I honestly didn't recognize it. "Why haven't you worn this yet? It's adorable."

"There's no way in hell I bought myself that thing," I reply. "It was probably a gift."

"Well, you're gonna suck it up," Pat states, throwing the dress at me. "Go put it on." I reluctantly obey, making my way in to my bedroom, knowing there was no going against my stubborn friends. I show it to them before I even take the time to loom at myself on the mirror. "Damn, I should've taken you out myself." God, Pat- you're such a pig.

"Uh, it's a little short," I point out, tugging at the bottom of the dress. "I don't want to go out looking like a cheap hooker."

"You don't," Maggie assures me, holding out a pair of heels. Yeah, that's just what your clumsy friend needs. "You look like a very classy hooker." That made me feel so much better.

"Okay, so some things to remember so you don't fuck up-" Pat starts as he follows me down the hall and into the living room.

"Okay, for the last time, I didn't fuck it up- he was just an idiot." That's when I remembered that I'd have to sit through that date all over again tonight.

"And there's your first rule: if he's in the middle of a sentence, don't cut him off." I groan and roll my eyes as a sit down to put my shoes on. "Two..." He pauses to think for a moment. "Oh, don't talk about how weird you are. Like, if I were going on a date with a hot girl, the last thing I'd want to hear is how she's read everything Edgar Allan Poe has ever written." He rolls his eyes, clearly mocking me, and I just laugh in return. "And three..." He puts his hand on my shoulder and I'm quick to shrug it off. "Aha! There's your third rule: you can't get all weird if he tries to touch you! Remember, he has to like you so his friend can get all pissed off and jealous and whatnot." I get a nauseous feeling in my stomach when he reminds me exactly why I'm doing this.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," I say, tightly pursing my lips together, thinking of what Jo told me on the phone:

_He doesn't like her like that...he likes you_.

* * *

Brooklyn. Brooklyn. Brooklyn. Brooklyn's smile. Brooklyn's curly hair. Her laugh. Her big, brown eyes and soft, sun-kissed skin. The way she looked up at me from under her thick eyelashes. The way she'd always playfully beat me up. The way she'd always touch my hair, making fun of the way it stood up. The feeling I got when we made eye contact. The feeling I got when I held her in my arms. When she rejected my kiss...and now, when I heard about her date with James. There wasn't one thought running through my head that didn't have Brooklyn all over it.

The thought of Brooklyn with James almost made me sick to my stomach. Why was she even giving him another chance? She said it herself that she didn't enjoy their last date. And what if James doesn't screw this one up? What if she actually enjoys herself? What if he miraculously goes a few hours without saying something stupid? What if they end up the way they were with each other when they first met?

Although I didn't want to, I could picture it in my head- James holding Brooklyn close to him, whispering in her ear and playing with her hair as Brooklyn giggles and turns a bright red in the face. "What're you still doing here?" I hear Katie ask, interrupting my train of thought. I turn around to see her standing in my doorway with her hands on her hips. I tried my hardest to look at her with a straight face- she was too much sometimes. "Shouldn't you be out with your friends or something?"

"Not tonight, I guess," I say with a shrug. "I wasn't going to be the third wheel on anyone's date."

"Carlos is on a date?" She asks, furrowing her brow in disbelief. I tried my hardest not to laugh. I'm not gonna lie- that just made my day.

"I dunno, but he's obviously busy with something." She rolls her eyes and lets herself in my room.

"What's wrong?" She asks with a sigh.

"Nothing," I lie.

"It's that girl again, isn't it?" I stay quiet for a moment. Sometimes I wish Katie was stupid. "I take that as a yes. What, did Camille screw it up for you two or something?"

"How'd you know?" I ask, suspiciously.

"I saw them talking in the lobby yesterday."

"What did she say?" I frantically ask. Katie takes a big step back.

"Oh my god, calm down. I don't know; I couldn't hear them." I sigh and shake my head. I knew Camille did something. "Obviously, your crazy girlfriend scared her away."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Katie scoffs and makes her way out of my room.

"Tell her that, then."

* * *

My date with James wasn't as awful as the first one was. I made sure to stay less abrasive, and it seemed that James was slightly less irritating himself. He walked rather close to me with his arm around my shoulders as we made our way back to my house. It was awfully uncomfortable, but I had to remember Pat's "rules" if I wanted this to work (as bad as I felt about it now.) "I know why you're doing this," James finally blurts out. I felt my heart jump up into my throat. Oh, shit.

"Uh, you do...?" I nervously ask. James just laughs, probably at my nervous expression.

"What, do you think I'm stupid?" I open my mouth to answer, but he quickly cuts me off. "Wait, don't answer that." I just laugh; that was a smart decision.

"Look, I know you're doing this to bother Logan- and trust me, it's working."

"He's not mad, is he?" I question.

"I don't think so, but it's definitely bothering him." Part of me thought, "good," and the other felt really guilty. "Whatever, it's good for him anyway," James smugly adds in. "It's gonna force him to man up to you." And I really hoped it would.


	17. Poker Face

Soo, another lie here: I wanted Vegas to be one big chapter itself, but like I said, I'm good at writing nonsense, so the next chapter will be the next day. I know, I'm awful. xD BTDubs, I was in the weirdest mood writing this, thanks to the little idea **Oreo-Child** gave me and a little song I like to call the "Double Rainbow" song. Mm, yeah, my life in a nutshell.  
-Veg :)

* * *

The days almost went by too fast and before we knew it, it was Friday night and time to take off for Vegas. "Call me the second you get there," Mrs. Knight instructs us, obviously worried about a group of teenagers in Vegas by themselves. "Don't talk to any shady looking people, or strangers...or, how about you just don't talk to anyone at all?" Brooklyn, standing in between James and me, just chuckles.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Knight," she assures her with a smile. "I'll keep an eye on them." The funny thing is, that would scare anyone who actually knew Brooklyn.

"C'mon!" Carlos yells, staring out at the limo outside that was waiting for us. "We gotta go!" Mrs. Knight gives us all hugs and wishes us luck, while Katie glares at us, annoyed that she wasn't allowed to come along. We all make our way outside and pile ourselves into the car. Kendall and I sat on one side while Brooklyn sat facing us in between Carlos and James. She was in a pair of leggings and a gray and blue striped sweatshirt that I immediately recognized as James'. She rested her head on his shoulder- I guess the two were okay with each other once again- as Carlos mindlessly babbled in her ear.

"So," Kendall says, finally shutting Carlos up. Brooklyn was probably getting ready to punch him. "Who's excited?"

"That was a fucking stupid question," Brooklyn says while laughing quietly, but still in her same haughty tone. "We're a bunch of unsupervised kids going into Vegas. Who isn't excited?"

"You know, we're all really lucky my mom doesn't know you well enough, because if she did, none of us would be allowed to go," Kendall says, laughing. Brooklyn just rolls her eyes.

"Please, you guys would be dead without me," she interjects. "Can you really see yourselves alone in Vegas when none of you have any street smarts whatsoever?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks, jokingly crossing his arms.

"Well, I don't think you can learn much about city life in Minnesota. Maybe how to survive in the wilderness, but not in Vegas." She smugly replies. "Your asses would be broke, dead meat if you were alone." And I actually believed her.

* * *

"Hit me," Carlos says, staring down at his hand of cards with great intensity. I take his term literally and slap him upside the head. "Ow!"

"Carlos, this is poker," I explain to him. "Not blackjack." It was over an hour in to our car ride, and we still had about three more to go. James and I had taken up teaching Carlos how to play poker while Kendall slept and Logan quietly listened to music. I could already tell this was going to be a long weekend.

"Alright, you know what?" Carlos says, frustratedly slamming his cards down on his thighs. "This game sucks." I glance over at the random plethora of cards in his lap. I just laugh and roll my eyes, and turn to James to see his cards: two queens and a two, eight and nine.

"Wow, you guys are so lucky I have no interest in playing strip poker with either of you," I say, revealing three fives, a jack and an ace. They both seemed to perk up at my statement.

"What about strip poker?" Carlos says, seeming interested now.

"Typical boys," I mumble, rolling my eyes. "You still manage to lose when we're not betting anything at all. The last thing you need is to end up embarrassed and clothes-less."

"Do I even want to know what kind of sick ideas you're putting in their heads?" Logan nervously asks, pulling a headphone out of his ear.

"I'm just telling them strip poker is a bad idea in Vegas," I reply with a mock of innocence.

"Oh, come on," Carlos interrupts. "So, if a group of hot Vegas girls invite me to play with them, I'm just supposed to say no?"

"Well, for starters: no Vegas escort girl is gonna invite you anywhere, anyway," James smugly interjects, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Hey, you can't be so sure of that," I correct him. "You can tell Carlos is the most vulnerable out of all of us, so they'll probably think it'll be easier to get his money." Carlos mumbles something under his breath as he pushes his helmet down on his head.

"I'm determined to win a game," he announces as I deal another hand of cards, including Logan in our game this time. None of us believed he would, but he did. I blankly stare at everyones' cards, realizing I had the worst hand out of the four of us. God dammit, I hate losing. "Now look who's lucky this isn't strip poker!"

"Obviously not you guys," I retort. They all looked as if they were trying to find a good argument to make, but there really wasn't one. In that case, I won.

* * *

I never thought I'd say it, but we actually made it to Vegas within a few hours. The five of us sat in the lobby of the Bellagio, waiting for Gustavo and Kelly to meet up with us like they said they would. Carlos was staring up at the stained-glass ceiling, probably mesmerized by the colors, James was paying close attention to his phone, probably waiting for three different girls to text him, and Kendall was on the phone with his mom, probably listening to the same speech she gave us before we left. I was watching Brooklyn, who was sitting on the complete opposite side of us, talking to some guy who was probably in his 20's, definitely not unattractive and held a guitar case slung over his shoulder. Anyone else who saw them would have immediately thought he was inviting her back to his room, but knowing Brooklyn, she was probably babbling on about Fernando Sor or some other classical guitarist, and he was probably getting completely turned off and was trying to escape. Luckily, that's when Kelly came in and summoned us all.

"Where's Gustavo...?" James suspiciously questions. Kelly sighs and shakes her head.

"Arguing with the poor valet boy outside," she replies. The rest of us decided not to question her any further. "Anyways, I have to go check you guys in. Stay here." She quickly returned a few minutes later with an envelope full of plastic room keys. As she hands us each one, she notices there's one left over. "Um, where's Carlos?" That's when Brooklyn looks over her shoulder and bursts out into laughter.

"Oh my god," she says, gasping for air. "Look!" The rest of us turn around, only to see Carlos on the opposite side of the lobby, talking to group of skimpily dressed girls who probably weren't much older than any of us. The four of us all shout his name at the same time, causing the whole group to look over at us. Carlos tells them something then quickly makes his way back over. "Who called it?" Brooklyn smugly asks. "I knew they'd go after him."

"Okay..." Kelly starts again. Although, her facial expression screamed, "I knew this wasn't a good idea." "Don't go wandering off by yourselves and Gustavo and I will either be down the hall or somewhere relatively close if you need anything. Your soundcheck is at three tomorrow and then the show starts at six." She pauses for a moment, probably trying to find out if she missed anything. "I think that's it." She hands Carlos the last room key. "We were only able to get four beds; I expect one of you to be a gentleman and take the couch for Brooklyn's sake."

In contrast, Kendall yells out, "Last one to the room sleeps on the couch!" Ironically, he was the one stuck doing so. "Whatever," he sighs, letting himself fall back into the couch. "This is pretty comfy, anyway."

"Well, boys," Carlos announces, "I'll be back later."

"Oh, god..." Brooklyn says, rolling her eyes. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To meet up with a group of pretty girls down at the Aria," he says proudly. "Anyone care to join me?"

"Knock yourself out," I tell him, with no intention of getting into any trouble tonight.

"I have a girlfriend," Kendall reminds him.

"I have a phobia of STDs," Brooklyn interjects with a completely serious face. I tightly purse my lips together, trying my hardest not to burst out into laughter while my other friends gave her confused looks.

"I'll go with you," James says, getting up. Brooklyn furrows her brow at him.

"What? Kelly said not to wander off alone." In James' language, that really meant, "I'm not gonna miss out on a group of drunken hot girls." She just shrugs it off.

"Be careful out there," I say, completely terrified of what the two were going to get themselves in to. "They could easily be a bunch of grifters." Carlos places his helmet on his head in reply.

"You're not seriously wearing that," Brooklyn says. Carlos shoots her a look like the answer was obvious. She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. No strip poker tonight, okay?"

"Anything else?" He asks while his hand makes it's way to the doorknob, obviously anxious to leave.

"Yeah," she starts again. "Buried or cremated?" Carlos was quick to slam the door behind them.

"Uh, so," Kendall says, turning toward Brooklyn. "Are you and James, like-"

"I don't know," she says rolling her eyes. "Don't ask."

"What happened to him being an "effing moron"?" I ask, suspiciously.

"What do you care?" She mumbles, just loud enough for me to hear. "You have Camille."

* * *

I thought spending all that extra time with James would finally drive Logan to...well, at least so something. Instead, he was just irritating me. I was quick to grab a bag and leave in desperate need to clear my mind. I'd heard about the Venetian that was right down the street, and about how beautiful it was. Figuring that I could take some pictures for my midterm project, that's where I headed.

It was even more beautiful than I imagined from the descriptions I heard. The huge stone building had a marble fountain out front and wrapped around a waterway where couples passed by on gondola rides. I made my way around the outside, stopping on a bridge over the water to take out my old, Polaroid camera to snap a quick picture of a gondola floating out of my direction. Once the picture comes out, I sit myself on the edge of the bridge and stare at the blank sheet, waiting for the picture to develop.

I watched as the next boat swam by, carrying a young couple. The woman smiled and looked away as the man held her and softly spoke in her hear. When she looks back at him, he gently takes her face in between his hands and presses their lips together. I feel my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. As much as I seemed to speak against it, I secretly wished for something like that, but they obviously never worked for me. I sat and watched the other rides for what felt like forever until I finally lost track of time. An hour had probably passed.

"I knew I'd find you here," a familiar voice interrupts my deep thoughts. I turn around, only to see Logan, flashing me an innocent and nervous smile. I turn back around, trying my hardest to still seem mad, though I didn't want to be. "Can we talk?" Yes. No, no- ignore him. "I don't want to fight, Brooklyn." He sits himself next to me and inches closer. I tried my hardest to keep my poker face; he looked so helpless, I just wanted to laugh. "I know you want to smile. You're thinking about how pathetic I look right now and trying not to laugh." God dammit. He pauses for a moment, and then starts again. "Camille's not my girlfriend. We're friends, but she's a little...crazy." Yeah, I've noticed. "When you saw us kiss that one time, she was practicing for an audition and caught me off guard." He gently grabs my hand as I feel my heartbeat in my throat. "Besides, there's someone el-"

He immediately stops to pull his ringing phone out of his pocket. God dammit, this would only happen to me. He sighs before answering, "Hello?" He obviously sounded annoyed. "Uh, kind of- why?" His eyes bulge out of his head. "Oh my god, what did you do?" Yeah, I think I know where this is going. "Uh, okay, we'll be there." He hangs up the phone.

"What happened?" I smugly question. Logan sighs and shakes his head.

"Well, they're stranded over at the Aria, called from a pay phone and we apparently need to bring them clothes," he bluntly answers.

* * *

"God dammit, I knew Carlos wouldn't listen to me." Brooklyn says as we make our way down the street with a bag with clothes inside for the two.

_And I knew he'd find a way to ruin my moment..._

"Stay here," I instruct Brooklyn with a deep sigh as I make my way into the lobby bathroom. "Oh, god..." I blankly stare at Carlos and James, both sitting on the bathroom floor in their boxers. "Care to explain?"

"Uh..." Carlos looks up at me with an innocent smile. "Strip poker?"

"Did we not tell you that was an awful idea?" I toss them the bag of clothes. "Nevada girls are professional swindlers, Carlos."

"Very pretty swindlers who, mind you, left me my helmet and my boxers." He taps his helmet, his own weird way of showing me he's serious. "All I need."

"And your phones?" I ask, crossing my arms as they start to dress themselves.

"We get new ones," James replies with a shrug. "It was so worth it."

I really wondered how I ended up with these friends.


	18. Make This Last, Take It Slow

Hey guys! Sooo sorry this one took so long, but it's also twice the length of my normal chapters, lol. Besides, I put my whole week into mid-terms and arranging this fucking song *grumblegrumble*. But now I'm back, with the exception of dress rehearsals coming up soon. -_-" Buuut, enjoy!  
- Veg :)  
PS: When I wrote this story, I had basically up until this point planned in my head. Soo, now I'm a little lost. I have a few ideas, but I'm not positive yet. Your inputs are always greatly appreciated!

* * *

The next morning came quickly and my wake up call was Brooklyn-Carlos style: blaring music and yet another seriously intense game of poker. "God dammit, Carlos!" I hear Brooklyn say, a little louder than necessary. She's been using that phrase a lot lately. "This is why you fucked it all up last night! You don't bet when you know you're gonna lose." She laughs and turns the music up louder, like it wasn't loud enough already. "Did you bet your phone or something?"

"That's not important," he says, laughing with her. "All that matters is that I can go back to LA and say I played strip poker with a bunch of hot girls."

"Touché." They were silent for a moment, until I hear Carlos let out a loud groan while Brooklyn laughs. "You're lucky I'm too nice to take your money."

"How do you do that?" He whines. "I could've so used you last night." Their music suddenly shuts off. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Can you guys go be irritating in some else's room?" Kendall complains. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Please!" I beg from my room, sitting up a bit. Brooklyn's face lights up when she notices I'm awake. She runs over into my room and, literally, pounces on me.

"Morning!" She says, pinning my shoulders down, obviously overly excited. My whole face heats up at the feeling of her on top of me. Oh, the awkwardness...

"Uh, hi," I reply, clearing my throat a little. She just laughs and rolls over to my side.

"Get up!" She demands, shaking my shoulder. "Breakfast is on Carlos!" I sigh and sit up. The clock next to me may have read 10:00, but it felt like I just fell asleep five minutes ago.

"Nice try," Carlos says, walking toward us with a white towel slung over his shoulder. "I'm hitting the pool. I can't wait for you guys any longer."

"I'm coming with you!" I hear James shout from across the room, swinging his door open in the middle of pulling a t-shirt over his head. It was a little discerning to think of the two wandering off by themselves again. The last thing they needed was to get in to any more trouble.

"Uh, Carlos..." Brooklyn starts, blankly staring at him as he heads toward the door. "What's with...that?" My only assumption was that she was referring to the red mark on the side of his neck. Oh, god...

Carlos brings his index finger to his lips and let's out a quiet, "Shh!" "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." He tells her with a smirk.

"Except herpes!" She shouts after him. "That shit'll come back with you!" Once the door is slammed shut, I turn to Brooklyn, completely confused. "What?" She shrugs. "You haven't seen _The Hangover_?"

"Yeah, that's just what I want to think of right now," I tell her. "The five of us getting drugged, only to wake up the next morning to find Carlos missing." Brooklyn giggles; I actually didn't find it that funny. The thought disturbed me.

"Hey, don't pick on Carlos just because he got some last night." I wish we could just drop it and talk about something else, considering this was a little uncomfortable, but I wasn't good at distractions.

"Oh, I doubt that." I roll my eyes. "They probably ditched him and stole his stuff when he started mindlessly babbling about puppies or something like that." I really shouldn't have found that funny, but I laughed anyway. We were interrupted when the door swung open once again. Kelly enters our suite, only to find a snoring Kendall on the couch and Brooklyn and me sharing a bed. No, this doesn't look shady at all. "Uh," I nervously start. "It's not what it looks like-" Kelly is quick to cut me off.

"No, stop. I don't want to know," she says with a worried face. "Where are the other two?" Brooklyn and I get ready to answer her, but she stops us once again and puts a hand to her forehead. "You know what? Don't answer that, either. Be ready to leave for the Pavilion around 2:45. Soundcheck's at 3; you'll get ready there." And with that, she quickly and confusedly turned around and made her exit.

"Well," Brooklyn bluntly states. "That was uncomfortable." I just shrug it off- yet another awkward topic.

"C'mon," I say, climbing out of bed and gesturing for her to follow. "Let's go eat."

"Should we wake Kendall up?" She stretches her arms out and lets out a loud yawn. I glance over at my friend, completely passed out on the couch.

"Nah. He's finally gonna get some peace and quiet."

* * *

"Okay, uhh," I tell Logan from across our table. "Oh- I'm a serious adrenaline junkie." He just laughs and rolls his eyes at me.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" He teases.

"No, seriously," I explain. "I'd have someone chase me in the woods with a chainsaw if I had to." He just blinks and blankly stares at me. "I know, I'm not normal."

Logan and I sat in a diner not too far of a walk from our hotel. As I poked at a plate of pancakes in front of me, we played this little game that I'm not sure how it exactly started. I guess you could say it was kind of a "Twenty Questions" type of thing, only we talked about ourselves rather than asked questions, and we were definitely way past number twenty. I stare at Logan as he makes a face, thinking of what to reply with. He then smiles and blushes a little while shaking his head. "Alright, this is a good one." He laughs, obviously getting ready to share something weird or embarrassing. "I've seen _the Lion King_, like, eight hundred times. I can easily recite the whole thing to you." My whole face lights up.

"Oh my god!" I say, kind of over-excitedly. "Me too!" I guess I really am a weird person. I can go from "no-nonsense mom" to a six year-old in a matter of seconds. "But, seriously, this will make you feel better: at least once a year, I devote a whole day to watch all six _Star Wars_ movies."

"Embracing your inner nerd?" He smirks at me.

"Oh, fuck you." I playfully kick him from under the table.

"Ah, and there's your next one already: you have the mouth of the daughter of a trucker and a sailor."

"Oh, well I'm sorry "damn" is considered a bad word when you grow up in the woods."

"That just made me think of one; god, this is so embarrassing..." He shakes his head. "Back in Minnesota, I was always scared of getting mauled by a bear or something." I tried my hardest to contain my laughter. "No, seriously; I wouldn't go out by myself after dark. The guys still make fun of me for it."

"Well, here's a good one: my friends were wholeheartedly convinced I was fearless, until _E. T._ was playing on TV one day and I freaked out." I felt my whole face heat up; the girl who could easily sit through a real-life version of the _Saw_ movies was terrified of some ugly alien with a big head.

"You're scared of E. T.?" He questions, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Terrified." That was where he couldn't help but burst out into laughter. I kick him harder this time. "It's not funny!"

"Ow!" He takes a deep breath, trying to contain himself. "I'm sorry, but at least my fear was realistic." We were then distracted by our waiter placing a black leather book in between us. Logan was quick to snatch it and take out his wallet. I just sigh and roll my eyes, knowing exactly what was about to happen. "Here," I tell him, reaching down for my bag. "Let me-" He gently takes my purse out of my hands and places it back by my feet.

"No," he says, flashing me a small, closed-mouth smile. "I've got it." The next hour or so was spent with me nagging him about it. I hated the feeling of inferiority and helplessness. He tried to explain to me it was just paying for breakfast. Believe it or not, I disagreed.

* * *

The five of us stood backstage, waiting for our performance to start. James stared at his reflection, Carlos mindlessly walked in circles, Brooklyn focused on answering emails and text messages, and Kendall just blankly stared and watched it all, probably wondering how this all even came to be. I nervously shuffled back and fourth as I heard the crowds' screams fill up the Pavilion. I wasn't sure if I was going to puke or pass out first. "Nervous?" Brooklyn asks, staring up at me weirdly. I aggressively nod my head.

"Terrified," I explain. "Aren't you?" She just shrugs.

"It's just, like, a thousand times bigger than what I'm used to." She tells me, placing her phone in her dress pocket; I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "No big deal." I blankly stare at her, hinting that she wasn't any help. She just bursts out in to laughter. "Did you see that fucking crowd out there? Of course I'm nervous! Well, at least I'm only out there for one song."

"You're no help!" I reply, trying to calm myself down. She just sighs and wraps her arms around me. I'm sure, as girly and ridiculous as it sounds, my heart stopped for a second.

"You need to _caaaalm doooown._" She tells me, pulling me in a tight hug as my whole body tenses up; yeah, that wasn't any help, either. She lets go once a loud, uncomfortable vibration comes from her pocket. She mumbles a long stream of curse words under her breath before answering. "Hello?" She talks loudly and covers the other ear to hear better. I watch her as she continues her conversion, rolling her eyes, furrowing her brow and impatiently tapping her foot. "Look," she says after a few minutes. "I don't have time for this shit right now. We'll talk when I get back, okay?" She messages her temples with her fingertips once she hangs up and mumbles to herself some more.

"You okay?" I ask with a genuine concern. She just sighs and shakes her head.

"I'll live," she tells me. I glance over at Gustavo, who was madly waving his arms in the air, trying to get my attention. He holds up all ten fingers and mouths the words, "Ten minutes!" to me, which I then point out go everyone else. I guess this was where everyone's nerves kicked in. "You guys all need to chill out." I don't think any of us actually listened to her. "Can I at least warm you up?" We all manage to nod, both overly excited and scared out of our minds. Brooklyn then proceeds to "warm us up", as she put it, which consisted of us singing a few scales and making a bunch of weird noises. I was really curious to see how it would help us in any way, but Brooklyn assured me it would.

* * *

If there's one thing I love more than anything, it's the feeling I get when I'm on stage. The colored lights, the noisy crowd, the adrenaline rushing through my veins- it all give me this huge rush that made me...happy. I wouldn't trade this feeling for the world. I watched the guys perform from backstage, unable to stay still in one place. I was too excited.

_Okay, okay, shut up. Just focus. None of that dramatic shit Pat just called to bitch about is important right now. No one else is important either; only you. You're gonna get out there and sing your ass off like you always do._

I tug on the bottom of my dress- a nervous and impatient habit I always had.

Staring down at the short, reddish, floral print fabric paired with black stockings that had a run in the knee and and black, rubber Doc Martens made me think of how Pat would react to my choice of attire for tonight. _"That dress looks like a gay fashion designer threw up on it," _I imagined him saying; or maybe something as stupid as, _"The 90's called- they want their grunge back."_ God, it really was nice to have a weekend away from him for once. I glance over back at the stage where the guys were starting their next song.

_"I promised I would be there; I swear I'm on my way; I know you may not here me, but that's the price I'll pay..."_

"Dammit, Kendall," I grumble to myself out loud. "I told you eight hundred times not to go flat on that note." My eyes wander to the next person in their line: James, who just flashed his smile to a million screaming little girls who would have jumped on stage and attacked him if there weren't a gate blocking them. Next was Carlos, who looked as if he was saying every dance step in his head as he sang his part. His facial expression was way too easy to read, although he tried to hide it with his childish smile. I was actually surprised when I learned he had the strongest voice out of all of them. I take a quick glimpse over my shoulder back at Gustavo, who looked slightly less miserable than usual. I guess that means he was pleased.

_"Cause the clock is ticking, the world is spinning, our lives are passing by..."_

I giggle to myself as I listen to the high note Logan hits at the end of his verse. I swear, that boy could probably sing countertenor if he wanted to. If I didn't see him freaking out a while ago, I would've never guessed he was nervous. He flashes the crowd his flawless smile and just continues on, looking as if he's having the time of his life out there. God, he was too adorable.

I couldn't help but recall our moment from last night, sitting on the edge of the bridge, over the water, under the stars..._"Besides, there's someone el-" _I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if Carlos and James didn't fuck it all up from being stupid. I know what he wanted to tell me, or at least I think I do, but the real question was if he would've told me or not. _"Besides, there's someone else,"_ I imagined him telling me as he gently took my hand. I'd ask him, _"Who?"_ playing the stupid, oblivious protagonist in an awful chick flick that could drive a person to bring an axe to their skull. That's when he'd cutely smile at me again and reply that it was me, pulling me close to him and gently pressing his lips to mine.

Oh, god- that was disgusting. What the fuck am I turning in to?

My mind draws a complete blank once I hear Kendall's voice flowing through the speakers, introducing me to the audience. Once I take my first step onto that stage, I get the rush I've been awaiting. The flashing lights, the roaring crowd, the feeling I got in my chest when Logan squeezed my hand before I took my place in front of the microphone- it all felt **perfect**.

"Oh my god, Brooklyn," Kendall says, nearly shoving me backstage as he suffocates me in a hug. "That was incredible!" Logan glances over at me, knowing what I was about to start on.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask, crossing my arms. Logan snickers to himself, like he predicted it or something. "Did you hear that clash James and I made around measure thirty? It was horrendous."

"Uh, I didn't, actually," Kendall bluntly tells me.

"I don't think anyone did," Logan adds in, rolling his eyes.

"I did," I irritably retort.

"Okay, okay," Carlos says, breaking up our argument. "Brooklyn, you were amazing, not like we didn't expect any less. We were awesome and Gustavo looked relatively pleased... Can we please go eat?" The guys agree, except for Logan, who nods toward me.

"Actually, I think I'll catch up with you guys later," he says. "I want to take Brooklyn somewhere." I quirk an eyebrow in his direction, but he decided to pull the same "you won't know till we get there" shit.

* * *

"I can't believe you," Brooklyn giggles as I take her hand to help her in the two-person gondola.

"What?" I plainly ask, shrugging my shoulders. "You gave me the idea last night.I thought it would be fun." And so we started our gondola tour around Vegas, under the moonlight while the operator paid no mind to us. "You know," I say, finally breaking our silence. "You really were awesome tonight." I meant it, no matter how much she'd argue with me about it. She grumbles something under her breath as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. I roll my eyes and snatch it away from her. "Do you ever put this thing down?"

"Hey!" She whines, reaching over to grab it. "And no, I don't. My whole life's on here." She lets out a deep sigh while staring down at the screen. "Ah, fuck..."

"What's wrong?" I ask, wondering if it's the same thing that was bothering her earlier. She mumbles more under her breath and lets her head fall on my shoulder.

"Nothing," she whimpers. "Just some shit I don't want to hear right now." I take a deep breath before wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

"Then don't; turn it off." I tell her. "You know, I really think you need to give yourself a break sometimes. I don't think you really have any time to breathe." She just blankly looks up at me. "When was the last time you just...had fun?"

"What do you mean?" She asks, letting her fingertips trail in the water next to us. I couldn't help but think of how unclean it probably was, so I gently tug her arm back.

"The last time you were able to go out, not think about a rehearsal, or school work, or anyone else's problems, and just have fun," I explain. She purses her lips together, obviously trying to think.

"Probably when you took me out last week," she finally answers, completely serious. I tried my hardest not to smile like an idiot. The remainder of our ride was mostly silent.

* * *

I don't really remember what happened after Logan and I got back to our room. I remember getting another call from Pat about some shit not working out for an event we were planning, getting annoyed and grabbing a bottle out of my bag. I don't remember what it exactly was, but Logan took it away from me once a good portion was gone. I remember breaking down and crying on Logan's shoulder, but I don't remember why. I can only pray now that I didn't say or do anything stupid.

I woke up the next morning in my bed, the hotel room as silent as could be. My head felt as if someone were inside of it, repeatedly smashing it with a sledgehammer, and my stomach felt like someone was twisting it in every direction. Groggy. Headache. Sweaty. Nauseous. I'd honestly rather throw myself in front of a moving train then feel like this.

I groan and pull the blanket over my head when I sense the sun shining through the window. On top of everything, my eyes feel like they've just been dilated. I bring my knees to my stomach, curling up into a ball, and try to focus on breathing rather than the excruciating pain. "Morning," I hear a familiar voice say softly. I tug the blanket away from my face, only to see Logan, peeking his head in the doorway. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," I bluntly reply. Logan sighs, lets himself in and sits on the edge of my bed, handing me a glass of water and a pair of painkillers. Relieved, I take them. "Thanks," I manage to mumble, falling back. "Ow..."

"You're gonna have to get up," he tells me, looking a little guilty. "It's already 2. We have to check out in a half hour." He offers me his hand, pulling me up again, and then standing up himself. "Can you be ready to go in the next fifteen minutes?" Hesitantly, I nod. "Need anything else?" I slowly shake my head, trying my hardest to avoid any further dizziness. "Alright, I'll be out there if you need me." I slowly manage to stand up, although I wanted to let myself fall straight back into bed.

"Uh, Logan?" I ask in a cracking tone before he left the room.

"Yeah?" He immediately turns around and my mind draws a complete blank of what I wanted to tell him.

"Thanks," I manage to get out, biting my lower lip afterward. He nods, like he knows exactly what I'm talking about.

"Don't mention it." Trust me, I won't.


	19. Thankless Job

Insert unmotivated author's note here...  
- Veg

* * *

The weeks literally flew by after Vegas. It seemed that Brooklyn and I talked less and less, too. The last time I saw her was over a week ago when the guys and I went to see her in _Sweeney Todd_. It was actually kind of irritating to sit through almost two hours of her hanging off Pat's arm. Kendall tried to explain to me that it was "only acting" and he "had the same problem with Jo," but it wasn't really much different between the two when we got the chance to talk after the show.

I couldn't help but constantly have one thing on my mind: our second day in Vegas. I really don't know how to describe it, other than...eventful. I thought it was going to be a great day- I really did. Brooklyn literally didn't leave my side the whole day, which I was completely fine with. It was just until we returned to our room that night when I realized there would be a problem; when she pulled out that blue bottle filled with some type of alcoholic substance that the older guy she talked to the night before supposedly bought for her. Brooklyn took sip after sip after sip, offering me one in between. I politely refused as she kept going. When the alcohol eventually took over, she completely broke down. I wasn't sure how any of the topics came up, but Brooklyn completely let everything out.

I think it all started with her telling me how stressed out she was; I was amazed that she found time to breathe between her academic work, her shows, being a leader in just about everything she does, and then having to go home and be the model child for two younger brothers. She told me the oldest boy was nonverbal, "a psychologist has yet to put a label on the youngest," and she was the only parental figure they really had left. She said her mother had a substance addiction and would apparently leave for weeks, or sometimes even months, at a time, which I guess was how she got around to telling me her dad died when she was 9. She went on and on until she completely cracked and started crying. I just stayed silent and held her close.

I don't know what possessed me to just show up on her doorstep one night. I guess I just wanted to know if or that she was okay. When I reach the front door, I completely freeze. I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time: 8:30. I hope I wasn't disturbing her- there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway. I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. After a minute or so, the door swings open, only to reveal the tall brunette boy I've become so familiar with this past month. "Uh, hey," I say, awkwardly. I'm not gonna lie- Pat kind of intimidated me, no matter how nice he pretended to be. He takes a big step to the side, gesturing for me to go inside. "Is Brooklyn here?" I slowly let myself in. He points toward the couch, where Brooklyn was completely passed out with books in her lap and a pen in her hand. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, just exhausted," he explains. "I came to babysit while she worked. She hasn't had any time to breathe lately." He gazes over at her almost lovingly; I try my hardest to ignore it. "Can you do me a favor?" I just nod as he scoops our friend up in his arms like she weighs nothing. "Go open up her door for me? It's the last one on the left." Without a word, I make my way through the kitchen and down the hallway, opening the specified door and stepping out of the way so Pat can get through the door.

I take a minute to look around her room; it actually reflected who she was perfectly. Drawings, doodles and sticky notes completely covered her closet doors. Over her bed were about 10 posters that appeared to be from previous shows she was in on bright purple walls. There was a dilapidated bookshelf in the corner with books thrown in every direction on it's shelves. My eyes lead back to the unmade bed, where Pat gently lays Brooklyn down, pulling a black comforter over her and pushing her hair out of her face. "Pat..." She manages to mutter, opening her eyes the slightest bit. "Where'd Kevin...and..." She groans a little bit and turns to her side. Pat shushes her and pulls the blanket up again.

"They left, hun," he tells her, smiling sweetly. I felt like I was watching a father and daughter more than two friends. It was honestly a little strange.

"Wait!" She says, trying to sit up. "Nick needs his-"

"Shhh," Pat gently pushes her back down. "I'll take care of it. Just go to sleep." He leaves first, leaving me to close the door behind us. I get a last glimpse at Brooklyn in her peaceful state and smile to myself before gently shutting the door.

"So, what brings you here tonight?" Pat asks once we're out, sitting himself on the kitchen counter and rummaging through the medicine cabinet behind him, reading every label.

"Just stopping by, I guess," I reply with a shrug. "I mean, I hadn't heard from Brooklyn in over a week, so I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." I catch him smirk to himself. "What...?" He shakes his head and finally grabs a pill bottle.

"Nothing," he immediately replies. "I'll be right back. Nick needs his meds." He was quick to leave and return. I couldn't wait to get out of there- this couldn't get any more awkward. "You look really uncomfortable," Pat smugly points out.

"Uh, yeah," I say, turning away. "I should get going. Thanks."

"Wait!" He stops me. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about." I quietly and hopefully unnoticeably sigh to myself and turn back around. "I'll make it quick, I promise." I nod for him to go on, curious to see where this was going. "Okay, so, Brooklyn told me about that night in Vegas, when she got a little..." He makes an obvious gesture with his thumb towards his lips and his pinky pointing upward. I immediately nod; he didn't need to continue. "And...she's been, like, really paranoid about it lately. What did she exactly tell you?"

"Uh, I don't think it's anything I should really repeat," I tell him. He just laughs and shakes his head.

"Trust me, I know Brooklyn better than she knows herself. She doesn't keep anything from me."

So, I tell him everything, and he doesn't look too surprised.

"Damn, you heard it all, didn't you?" He shrugs it off, jumps off the counter and opens up the fridge; I guess I understand how their friendship works now.

"Wait," I start again, confused. "It was all...true?" Pat gives me an absentminded nod. "That's...horrible." I really don't know how to react; all this time, Brooklyn passed as a normal, happy teenage girl. And she wasn't. I was actually hoping to hear that it was all just some crazy story; that the alcohol was talking for her. But it wasn't.

"You and I found out the same way," he says with a shrug, taking a swig of orange juice straight from the carton. I cringe at the sight; not because of his poor manners, but because this wasn't even his house. "Honestly, if I never saw her wasted, I wouldn't be here right now." I raise an eyebrow at his statement. "I mean, like...I wouldn't be as worried about her, you know? Because I probably wouldn't know as much." I nod.

"She doesn't want anyone worrying about her, does she?" That was my only assumption why she didn't tell me anything. It seemed like she was always fretting over someone else instead.

"Not at all; she thinks she has everything in control at all times and takes on way more than she can handle." He lets out a deep, frustrated sigh. "I just wish she can learn to relax sometimes. Have some fun, you know?" As he talks, I notice a picture collage of pictures over on the living room wall and walk over to get a better look. Pat just laughs. "Speaking of which..." He follows me over to the same wall, peering over my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure every picture up there are from shows she's been in."

My eyes follow over to the biggest picture that was framed and on top of the TV: it was a little girl, probably at 6 years old, with sad eyes, curly pigtails, a dirty face and a wide open mouth. "Is that her, too?" He smiles at the picture and nods as he picks it up.

"Isn't she adorable? She was Molly in Annie on Broadway when she was little." He carefully places it back down. "Too bad she had to give it up; she could've gotten so far by now..."

"Why'd she give it up...?" I question. Pat sighs again.

"I shouldn't even be telling you all this," he shakes his head. "After her dad died, her mom married some asshole and she really didn't have anyone left to support her, let alone drive her around from rehearsal to rehearsal." I take my attention off the picture and focus it on another one, trying to drop the subject I happened to bring up. I switch my focus back to the collage, where I notice a picture of her and Pat.

"Uh, what's this one from?" I furrow my brow as I stare at the photo of Pat in some ridiculous costume, carrying Brooklyn bridal-style in a setting that I recognize as the lobby area of LACHSA, outside the auditorium. I couldn't help but notice the short, fitted tan dress she was in. Pat lets out a hearty chuckle.

"When we were in The Wizard of Oz last year," he explains. It made more sense now; it appeared from his rather ugly costume in the picture that he played the Scarecrow. "Brooklyn was the sexiest lion you could ever imagine. It was fuckin' great. She had creepy thirty year old guys whistling at her in the audience." I couldn't help but laugh a little myself.

"She would be the one to do that do what's actually supposed to be a guy's role." Pat nods in agreement; it was so true.

"Hey, hasn't your life gotten so much more interesting with her around?"

"Oh, yeah," I reply, smiling to myself. "That's...for sure." My eyes wander the collage as Pat explains a few key roles she had; Brooklyn all dressed up in 50's styled clothes as Kim MacAfee in _Bye Bye Birdie_, with bright pink hair as Frenchie in _Grease_, crying on someone's shoulder as Maria in _West Side Story_.

"She really is an amazing kid," Pat explains. I immediately nod in agreement.

"She is, isn't she?" There was a moment of awkward silence; I couldn't wait to get back home.

"You like her, don't you?"

Hesitantly, I nod just enough for him to see.


	20. True Colors

Hey, so, I'm not dead. Actually, I'm backstage at my last show for this semester. It's kind of intermission and I should be getting changed, but I decided to post these two chapters that have been rotting in my files for the week. I haven't gotten a review in two chapters, so I didn't really feel obligated to post it. Please convince me that you're all still alive and motivate me to write chapter 22?  
- el Veg  
(or would it be la Veg, since I'm a girl? Oh, the questions that will never be answered for me...)

* * *

My eyes flutter open to a surprisingly empty and quiet room. "What the hell?" I grumble to myself, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. I glance over at the alarm clock that failed to wake me- it was past 10 AM. Why the hell didn't one of my brothers wake me up yet?

I feel my ears twitch when I hear a faint murmur down the hall. Unsure if I still should be worried or relieved, I quickly drag myself out of bed and to the living room. What I expect to be Pat with the boys is actually Logan, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, helping Alex build some ridiculously complicated Lego set that I never got around to helping him with. The two stop what they're doing and look up at me with the same cute, childish smiles and innocent eyes. "Uh, morning..." I awkwardly say, scratching the back of my head. Alex immediately pops up, his eyes wide with expression.

"Brooklyn!" He says, over excitedly. "Look! Logan's helping me with the pirate ship!" I just smile and ruffle his hair.

"That's...great...!" I reply, obviously unsure of how to react. I look over at Logan, who just nods and smiles yet again. "Uh, no offense, but...what're you doing here?" He slowly gets up, and I hear some bone crack in the process; it was obvious he's been here for a while.

"Well, Pat was here, but he had to go to work," he explains, impeccably shrugging his shoulders. "So, he called me from your phone and asked me to come help. I wasn't busy or anything, so..." I furrow my brow and subconsciously place my hands on my hips; according to most of my friends, it made me look like a mother about to scold her child.

"What the hell possessed him to call you?" It wasn't meant to sound mean, but I was honestly curious. He shrugs once again.

"I don't know, really," he says. "I mean, I came by last night, but you were sleeping, so we talked for awhile. If that has anything to do with it..." I sigh and hang my head in embarrassment. Logan just chuckles and slowly steps closer toward me.

"I'm sorry," I mutter. "Someone should've just woken me up."

"Don't be." He pushes a long piece of hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear, his fingers slowly trailing down my neck, sending chills down my spine. "We knew you were exhausted." I quickly shrug his hand off, clearly uncomfortable.

"Uh, thanks." I clear my throat as he tightly purses his lips together and stares down at his feet. That's when a little, annoying voice pops up in the back of my head: _"You can't get all weird if he tries to touch you!" _Oh, shut the fuck up, Pat; this is all your fault. "Um, so, I guess you should go..." He looks at me as if I'm kicking him out. "No, no! I mean... I thought you'd have to go do...boy band things." He shakes his head.

"Full day off," he says, flaunting his perfect smile. "I thought I'd come help you. I heard you have a lot of work to get done." I take a deep breath and nod. "So? You want some help?"

"You don't have to-" I start, but he quickly cuts me off by bringing his index finger to my trembling lips.

"Alright, I'll stay."

* * *

"I hate Shakespeare and I'm glad he's dead," I overhear Brooklyn mutter to herself as she frustratedly continues to type up her paper. I just chuckle and shake my head, aware of the fact that she didn't mean for me to hear her. "What? That's my thesis." Confused, I lean over to get a glimpse of her computer screen, where that exact statement was written in a huge font in her Word document. I try my hardest not to laugh.

"You know," I say, leaning in and tapping on the backspace key, erasing her nonsense. "You're never gonna get anything done if you keep this up." She groans and lets her head hit the screen.

"I don't wanna do this..." She whines.

"You have to," I tell her. I felt like it was our first tutoring date all over again. "When is this due?"

"Tomorrow," she replies, blankly staring at me.

"You're kidding me." She shakes her head. "How many pages?" She holds up all ten fingers and I sigh in return. "And how many do you have?" She holds up only her index, middle and ring finger. Well, it's better than nothing. "C'mon, then; you've gotta get started." She makes a series of loud and rather unattractive noises and lets her head fall down on my shoulder while mumbling something in to it.

"Fine. I'll just double space it and go on for a few pages about what an ass Cassius is." She picks her head up and resumes her attention on the computer.

"Antony was the real jerk," I say, ready to start a useless debate. "He was really just a selfish-"

"You want to talk about selfish?" She continues typing; I think we're actually getting somewhere. "Cassius was the douche." She scrunches up her face as if she's talking about someone she knows and really doesn't like. "He's so...manipulative and...jealous. He made me want to tear the pages out of my book. I mean, I loved Antony." Her eyes wandered out the window longingly. "He was loyal, brave and intelligent..." She laughs to herself and closes her eyes. "Do you know how rare it is to come across that kind of guy in real life?" I smile at her; she was so cute.

"What, you mean a guy who will marry five women and end up with like twenty kids?" My eyes widen when I realize something rather discomforting. "God, that sounds like James' future."

"Please," she scoffs. "I said intelligent."

"Hey, you're the one who went out with him...twice." And I'm glad it wasn't any more than that.

"Well, it's not like anyone else was gonna take me out," she hints, wrinkling her brow and focusing on her screen.

"You don't know that." I lower my tone and shift my gaze over to my shoes. She grumbles something, most likely negative, to herself and speeds up her typing.

"Anyway..." She lets out a loud, high-pitched sneeze and starts thinking out loud again. "Caesar was kind of a dick himself. Maybe his assassination was well deserved. I mean, god, why so stubborn...and indecisive? Cleopatra was lucky she ended up with a man that literally couldn't live without her." She grumbles this to herself, obviously not talking directly to me but making sure she was audible.

"Well, maybe Cleopatra shouldn't have kept leading on every guy she met if she was going to be so quick to forget about them." I sigh; I have a feeling she was hinting toward something here, considering Cleopatra's story is a whole other work of Shakespeare.

"Well, you can't blame Antony for being the more attractive gentleman." Ouch. That hurt.

"I'm sure Caesar was just as good, if not better."

"Yeah, well for all Cleopatra knew, Caesar was probably still very much in love with his first wife." Gee, I wonder what this is turning in to.

"Well, technically, first wife died," I correct her and she rolls her eyes at me. I swear I hear her say, "I wish."

"I think you get my point." Oh, you have no idea.

"Okay, come on. This is off topic; focus on Shakespeare." She quietly scoffs and shoots me a glare from the side. I like the feeling of getting the last word in.

And so she typed, grumbled to herself, and typed some more as her youngest brother dragged me around the rather small house like a new toy. I got a glimpse of her other brother for the first time, too; he kept to himself quietly in his room where he sat on his bed, quickly laying out a deck of cards and re-stacking them in a certain pattern I was unable to recognize. I focused more on Brooklyn and the way she took a break from writing almost every twenty minutes to check up on him, the way she watched him with this motherly glow in her eyes, and the ways she made him smile to himself when she talked to him sweetly and quietly. It all reminded me of why I love her so much.

Oh, god. I did _not_ just use that word.

I gaze over at Brooklyn, sitting cross-legged on the couch with her computer in her lap, her nose all scrunched up as she tries to focus. I'm brought back to reality by a small pair of hands tugging at the bottom of my shirt, leading my eyes to meet a pair of big, grey, innocent ones. "Are you Brooklyn's boyfriend?"

I feel my heart jump up into my throat. This is it; my chance to finally say something-

"Don't be ridiculous, Alex," Brooklyn immediately interjects, and I just keep my mouth shut.

And I was tired of it all working out that way.


	21. All You've Got is Hurt

Like I said, motivate me for the next chapter, because it's gonna be a good one. ^-^

- Veg

* * *

I seriously hate the holidays.

Okay, scratch that- Halloween is acceptable, since I get an excuse to dress up like a freak. Other than that, holidays suck. Valentines day makes want to vomit. Thanksgiving equals me cooking, cleaning and wishing we were still in NY for the parade. I know this kid who dresses up as a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day; it's fucking weird. I haven't even had a real Christmas in years. I seriously hate it all.

"Why don't you just come over my house next week?" Pat asks before taking a big gulp of coffee. "You know my family won't mind."

"You know I don't like...going places." I reply, glancing over at Logan sitting next to me, who was quietly staring out the window. Leave it to Pat to be the third wheel the only time Logan and I are together and I'm actually not completely spastic and stressed out. "Or...seeing people; or really just the holidays in general."

"You reject our invitation every year, Brooklyn. My mom's not gonna be too happy with you." He points out with a sigh. I try my hardest to shrug it off as I bring my familiar paper cup to my chapped lips. "No one should be alone on Christmas."

"I won't be," I retort. "I'll have the boys in the morning and Barbra the rest of the day." Logan turns his attention over toward me and raises an eyebrow.

"Barbra?" He questions, obviously confused.

"For the past three or four years, Brooklyn's Christmas has been Chinese takeout and some god-awful Barbra Streisand movies," Pat explains, rolling his eyes.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," I grumble, staring down at the steam rising out of my cup. "You guys probably already have a hundred people coming over, anyway."

"So, what's one more, then?"

"A hundred and one." I blandly state, Logan chuckling next to me.

"But he's right, Brooklyn." Logan interjects. "You shouldn't be alone. That would just suck." I just shrug.

"I kind of enjoy it. I never get time to myself." And this was true. I didn't really see it as Christmas; just as a day I can finally relax.

"Well, you know our place is always open," he innocently hints. "It's just gonna be the four of us with Mrs. Knight and Katie." I could tell that Pat was narrowing his eyes across the table without even glancing over at him. He's either jealous of our non-existent relationship of just feels like someone's about to replace him. Neither of them really make any sense.

* * *

It's been over two months. Two whole months, an Brooklyn's still the only thing on my mind. When Brooklyn and I made eye contact, I got this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. And I was tired of just sitting around, waiting for something to happen. It's not cute anymore; now I just sound like an idiot.

"Dude, you're in _love_," Carlos snorts, turning his attention back to his video game, otherwise known as his way of entertainment since it's not exactly warm enough for the pool in December. I groan and fall back into the couch.

"You really needed Carlos, of all people, to tell you that?" Katie mumbles, unraveling a string of Christmas lights for our tree. It's obviously scaled down from the enormous real one the Knights would get every year, but it's still a tree. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"Yeah, well," I sigh, staring up at the ceiling. "I met a girl who makes me feel stupid." Carlos just mocks me with a loud, "Awwww!" I hear James and Kendall snicker from the kitchen while Jo scoffs in return.

"You really are pathetic," she plainly points out.

"I know," I groan, still focusing upward.

"Hey, don't make me ask her out a third time," James jokes. "Cause at this point, I will." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jo aggressively elbow him in the stomach. I smile to myself, wondering what I'd do without her at this point. It's always nice to have a sensible one around, and I know that couldn't always be Kendall.

"Please, you've caused enough trouble for those two as it is." She immediately replies, and I couldn't have agreed more. "That's the last thing we need right now."

"Yeah? Well, Brooklyn's probably the only girl I know who I haven't dated this month." The sad thing is he's not joking. "So, if Logan's gonna ask her out, it better be soon."

"It's not that simple," I mutter to the ceiling that I'm becoming very familiar with.

"Oh, really?" James rolls his eyes, then holds his phone up to his ear, pretending to talk to someone, obviously mocking me. "Hi, Brooklyn- it's Logan. You know, I've been madly in love with you for the past two and a half months." I'm surprised he was able to count it that fast. "But, I've been too much of a chicken to say anything. Be my girlfriend already, especially so my friends don't have to listen to my shit anymore?"

"Hey, hey!" Kendall says, covering his little sister's ears. In return, she rolls her eyes and squirms out of his grip. "There's a child here..."

"Yeah, cause I'd just love it if a guy asked me out that way," Jo mocks him, taking a seat next to her boyfriend.

"Well, if I was a girl, I wouldn't want to wait this long."

"James, you _are_ a girl." Carlos snickers.

"Will you all just please shut up?" I finally snap. "I'm trying to think here..."

"Wait!" Jo immediately says with a huge grin spread across her face. "I have an idea!" And, mainly because it wasn't Carlos or James who said this, I knew it wouldn't be completely stupid and/or ridiculous.

* * *

**December 20th, 2010, 7:34 PM.** It's 55 degrees outside in LA right now and lightly raining. If still lived in New York, it would be below freezing and snowing.

"Brooklyn," Alex says, trying to roll out a large section of light brown dough. We were determined to make gingerbread men; I don't think they're turning out too well. "Are you gonna come to daddy's for Christmas?" He glares at the dough when a huge crack forms straight down the middle and sighs. I giggle, pat his head and try to fix it.

"Not this year, hun," I tell him, blankly staring across the counter. "You know your dad and I...aren't exactly on the best terms with each other." He sighs and takes another handful out of our bowl and hands it to his older brother, who intently stares down at it and tightly squeezes it in between his fingers. I just laugh and help Nick roll it out onto the counter.

"I wish mommy could be here..." I feel a huge lump forming in my throat and try my hardest to swallow it.

"Me too, Alex." I'm quickly cut off by my phone's loud ringtone. I quickly rinse my hands off to answer it. "Hello?"

"Alright, make a deal with me here," Logan's voice says on the other hand.

"Uh, what?" I ask, confusedly.

"For Saturday," he explains. "If you're gonna be alone on Christmas, let me take you out the night before." I groan and roll my eyes in reply, although I know he can't see me.

"But-"

"Great. I'll be there at 6 on Saturday."

"You suck, you know that?" I joke. I could sense him smiling on the other end.

"See you Saturday," he smugly adds in before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Alex asks, helping his brother press the cookie cutter into the flattened dough.

"You remember my friend Logan, right?" He immediately nods. How could he forget his instant best friend? "That was him."

"Is he your boyfriend?" I just laugh it off, remembering him asking this question last time.

"No, he's just my friend." I tell him, continuing to help with our baking.

"I think he should be your boyfriend." Alex plainly tells me. "He should be your boyfriend and then you guys can fall in love and get married."

"Where are you hearing this nonsense, Alex?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

"Maggie," he admits. I sigh- of course it was. "Last time she was here, she read me this story, and it was about finding real love or something like that."

"You mean true love?" I try my hardest to contain myself for my brothers' sake; but, knowing Maggie, she was probably reading him the not-so-kid-friendly modern translation of _Romeo and Juliet_ for her lit analysis.

"Yeah, that."

"Don't listen to anything Maggie tells you. Her head's in the clouds."

"How can her head be in the clouds? She's short, like me..."

"That's not what-" I sigh and shake my head, remembering I was only conversing with a 7 year-old here. "Never mind."


	22. Everything

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm in the greatest mood right now; like, you have no idea. I saw fucking Michael Buble last night, aka the other love of my life besides BTR. (Yeah, I realize that they're like practically opposites. Deal. xD) So after that, I didn't sleep so I could write this for you, because I was kind of excited, soo...I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did. :D

- Veg ^^

* * *

I sigh and stare out into the quiet empty street, rolling up the sleeves of my grey sweater. I don't think I'm adapted to Christmas in LA yet, and I haven't seen snow in four years. It's actually kind of depressing. I shift my gaze over to the sidewalk, where I notice a figure shuffling its feet in the distance. As it moves closer, I soon notice pale hands shoved in the pockets of a blazer and dark hair sticking up in the front. I smile and give him a small, two-fingered wave, then quickly glance down at my phone for the time- he was early. "You alright?" He asks as he steps on to my porch.

"Yeah," I lie, staring past him. He takes a seat next to me on the porch swing, moving in a lot closer than expected. I just clear my throat and stare down at my feet.

"What's wrong?" He asks, twirling a strand of my hair around his index finger. I stay quiet. "Brooklyn, you may be a good actress, but you're a bad liar." Mentally, I grunt to myself; this kid has gotten to know me too well.

"It's nothing, really," I quietly explain. "I've just...got a lot on my mind."

And it was true. Christmas especially brings back vivid memories I've tried my hardest to bury in the depths of my mind. I could almost feel the 20-degree chill of the city, and see it shine brighter than any Christmas tree ever would. I could almost feel the snow gently landing on the tip of my nose and eyelashes while my dad scooped me up in his arms and tossed my 8 year-old self around. I could almost hear bells- Salvation Army bells, church bells, sleigh bells. I can't exactly remember whether it was the loss or my family or Los Angeles that made me hate Christmas so much now. I guess it's a little of both, considering all I can really get from December in California is some rain and a sea breeze.

"Well," Logan places his warm hand over mine, and I actually leave it this time. "You know I'm always here if you need to talk." The corners of my mouth slightly twitch into a smile as I gently squeeze his hand in return.

"Thanks," I hoarsely reply. "Can we go now? I'm in dire need of something...fun." He just laughs, and I feel myself completely melt on the inside. I still have yet to understand why I get so nervous around who's probably the world's most easy-going person.

"I've got just the thing for you," he sweetly tells me, standing up without letting go of my hand. He gives it a gentle tug, signaling for me to stand up, too. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" I stand up and brush off the bottom of my shirt with my free hand. I wasn't expecting Logan go give me a straight answer, just because that's how he is.

"You'll see." I just sigh and roll my eyes. He was so predictable.

"Last time you told me that, I ended up cold and on my ass, remember?" Of course, who could forget our little skating incident?

"Nothing dangerous this time, I promise." He swanks his bright smile and gives my arm another tug. "Come on."

* * *

"I swear to god, if I don't win a game, I will kill everything you love," Brooklyn tells me with a completely straight face, tightening her grip on the plastic steering wheel in front of her. I know a deserted arcade on the boardwalk isn't exactly an ideal place to spend Christmas Eve (and definitely wasn't part of Jo's plan), but I honestly don't think I've ever seen Brooklyn smile wider in my life, and probably the first time I've ever seen her just have fun and actually act her age.

"You sure you want to start this?" I snicker, slamming my foot down on the gas pedal the second the screen flashes, "GO!" Once again, Brooklyn was defeated. "Come on, I think I've beat you enough for one night." I offer her my hand, and she ignores it, glaring up at me. "Oh, don't be a sore loser." She reluctantly grabs my hand and I pull her out of the wobbling plastic seat.

"Kill. Everything. You. Love." She mumbles to herself as I lead her back outside. "Where the hell are you taking me now?"

"Oh, be quiet," I joke. The only thing about spending time with Brooklyn is that you eventually start to talk like her. "I know it isn't exactly New York and I can't magically change the climate of LA," I lead her down the wooden steps and onto the beach. "But, I bet you've never spent Christmas on the beach." I kick off my shoes and she does the same.

"Well, you've got that riiigh-" She slurs her words and they eventually fade when I bring her to a white sheet and a picnic basket. "What the hell is this?" I know most people would probably wonder why I'm either bothering if her reaction's going to be like this, but I wasn't really offended. Brooklyn was just the kind of person who said what was on her mind, and that's exactly what she's doing. I bend over, flip the lid of the basket over and pull out a Ziploc bag to toss to her.

"Merry Christmas to the picky eater," I smugly tell her, sitting down on the sheet as she observes her sandwich.

"PB&J," She says, smiling and shaking her head. "You know me too well." I pat the spot next to me, hinting for her to sit down and then reach back into the basket for the silver thermos on the bottom, along with two Styrofoam cups. I pour the hot, chocalately liquid into the cups and hand her one. She giggles to herself and shakes her head as she stares down into the cup. "Can I be honest with you?"

"What...?" I suspiciously ask, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I haven't had hot cocoa since I was about six years old," she immediately replies.

"Is that even possible?" I ask in amazement. She takes another deep breath and stares out into the pitch-black ocean. I had this weird sense of déjà vu, remembering a dream I had a while ago.

"I had to cut a lot of dairy out of my diet when I started singing. It's bad for your voice." I wanted to say, "Yeah, so is alcohol," but decided to keep my mouth shut and reach back into the basket for something else to lighten the mood instead. It's silent for a few moments until Brooklyn finally speaks up again. She raises an eyebrow at the can of whipped cream now in my hands. I just laugh at her and shake my head.

"You're really bad at this," I tell her, taking her cup from her.

"At what?" She crosses her arms and playfully glares at me.

"At acting like a kid-" I immediately stop when the can of whipped cream nearly has a seizure when I try to squirt it out and explodes out onto the both of us, but more on Brooklyn. I look at her innocently, biting my lower lip and handing her a napkin. "Sorry..."

"I will kill everything you love," she mumbles yet again, snatching the napkin from me and wiping off her sweater. Before I can even budge, she snatches the can from me and completely covers my face in white. "Now we're even." She laughs at me as I groan and try to blindly find a napkin, too scared to even open my eyes. After a minute or so, she calms down and finds a napkin to help clean me off. "Well, it's definitely not a white Christmas," she scoots closer toward me and rests her head on my shoulder. "But, it still comes close. Thanks, Logan."

"It was my pleasure," I softly reply, carefully resting my head on top of hers.

After that, I completely forgot about the rest of Jo's plan, but I didn't care. It turned out perfect the way it was.

* * *

The handholding eventually became really awkward. Part of me wanted go keep holding on without letting go, and another part was saying, "This is fucking weird. Stop it right now." I mean, I'm obviously not the most touchy-feely person to begin with, anyway.

I try to let go, but Logan's hand doesn't budge. I sigh and hang my head in frustration, obviously defeated and Logan chuckles. "Oh, come on. Don't get all weirded out on me now," he jokes, playfully bumping in to me. I glance up at him; he's smiling to himself as he focuses on walking forward, probably trying to make sure he doesn't lead me into the middle of the street. I try my hardest not to laugh, focusing on his cute little dimples. It sucks that our night's already over; I'm not ready for it to be yet.

"Thanks, Logan," I tell him once again, leaning up against his arm. "For everything." I take a quick glance at his watch, noticing that it was only a little past 9- my grandmother probably didn't even have the boys home yet.

We reached my doorstep a lot faster than I had hoped we would. Logan smiles down at me, refusing to release my hand from his grip. "I'm sorry it went by so fast," he chuckles, swinging my hand back and forth.

"It did go by fast, didn't it?" I quietly say, staring down at my shoes that still had some spots of sand left. Just as he's done plenty of times before, Logan pushes a piece of hair away from my face.

Why does everyone always do that? I think it's time for a haircut.

"Uh, Brooklyn," Logan starts, leading me to look up at him. He nods upward, gesturing to look above our heads, where I see a very familiar bundle of mistletoe leaves hanging at the top of the doorframe. There was a folded up piece of paper taped down to one of them, which Logan carefully pulls off and unfolds. He laughs the moment he glances down at it and turns it around for me to see. In sloppy handwriting and all capital letters, some of them backwards, it read: _MERRY CHRISTMAS. LOVE, ALEX._

Logan's arms loosely sling around me, his hands resting on the small of my back. He pulls me in so close that when I look up at him, my nose brushes up against his and I feel his light breath on my face. I feel my cheeks completely flare up in return. I swallow a lump in my throat as I nervously focus on his bright, sparkling smile, our faces barely separated by an inch of space. All he had to do was move the slightest bit forward. I can't take the suspense.

I can't believe this is really happening.

I partially move halfway past that empty space and Logan moves the other half, our lips gently touching in the process. My whole body tenses up, then relaxes once Logan holds me tighter. My head is spinning as I subconsciously reach up and sling my arms around his neck.

This is what I've been waiting for. This is what feels right.

Slowly and reluctantly, our faces drift apart. Logan gazes down at me and smiles. "Merry Christmas, Brooklyn," he sweetly whispers in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

And it was definitely the merriest one I've had in years.


	23. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

I'm never going Black Friday shopping ever again...I barely had any energy left to post this. o.o

- Veg

* * *

I left Brooklyn's house that night without another word, completely in a trance. That wasn't one of my weird dreams. It was real. In absolutely every way possible, it was real, and it felt real- my arms around her, her lips against mine.

And all I could think was, _"It's about time."_

Everything seems relatively normal when I return to the Palm Woods- Carlos passed out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in his arms, Kendall and Jo sharing a kiss in the kitchen, and James sitting on the floor, combing his hair while in the midst of some meaningless argument with Katie. I try to make a quiet entrance, but obviously nothing can get past Katie's bionic ears. "How'd it go?" She asks, leading everyone in staring at me, including Carlos, who nearly jumps out of his spot. I smile to myself and gently close the door behind me. "I guess that means good..."

"Plan worked, didn't it?" Jo smugly asks as her boyfriend slings his arms around her waist.

"Uh, kind of," I attempt to explain, laughing a little. "Well, not really." My friends stare blankly and Jo quirks an eyebrow at me. "I mean, I didn't exactly follow through with the whole thing." Jo groans and rolls her eyes.

"Oh, come on," she says, crossing her arms. "Do you think I just made all that up for _fun_?"

"Well...I forgot some of it..." I admit, biting down on my lower lip. "But that doesn't matter. It all worked out the way I wanted it to."

"So, that means you guys are a thing now...?" Kendall questions.

"Uh," I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "I don't know, really. I mean..." My friends all moan in frustration at me. "Whaaatt?"

"Alright, I'm done with you," Jo complains. "I'm just gonna ask Brooklyn myself from now on." The funny thing is that Brooklyn won't be much help, either. I'm surprised Jo has any patience left for either of us.

"Alright, well," I stretch out my arms and fake a yawn. "I'm tired. Night, guys."

"It's not even 10," Katie points out as if I'm stupid.

"What, you're not gonna tell us what happened?" Carlos questions, barely awake. "No story? Nothing?"

"Eh, I'll tell you tomorrow," I quickly say before closing my door behind me and falling onto my bed.

I have to completely recollect myself. I'm not dreaming. I'm really not dreaming. Just moments ago, Brooklyn's soft lips touched mine as I inhaled the clashing scents of her cinnamon body spray and fruity shampoo. I could still feel her mouth twitching into a smile as her arms made their way around my neck. It was the moment we were both waiting for, but we were both too scared to admit it.

I turn over so I'm laying on my back and stare up at the blank, white ceiling. I wonder what Brooklyn's doing right now- probably waiting for her brothers to return home so she can put them to bed and slide their presents under the tree. Before I met Brooklyn, I never imagined anyone else other than a kid's parents doing so. But, I guess their house is a completely different story. I don't even want to imagine how Brooklyn plans on spending her Christmas tomorrow. I guess there's something I just don't understand, but, honestly, who would want to spend the holiday alone? Maybe I should stop by tomorrow; maybe she'll change her mind by then.

* * *

A normal Christmas morning with the Gio family: stay up until some awkward time, like 1:23 AM, to put the presents under the tree, be woken up at 6 by a 7 year-old who still believes in your Santa Claus lie and a 13 year-old who seems completely uninterested, watch them open the presents that they wouldn't have half of if it weren't thanks to our grandmother, be invaded by Pat not too long after that who leaves presents he was already urged not to buy, and then finally have Pat drive the two to their father's and be able to ride back home with the roof down, blasting totally obscene music, honking at and flipping off anyone who looks at us weird. Merry fucking Christmas.

"Alright, so, what the hell are you doing today?" Pat asks, turning down the CD that just made an awkward switch from _Rent_ to Marilyn Manson.

"I dunno," I reply as he slams the horn down at some old guy cutting him off. "Sleeping and then maybe four consecutive hours of _Fight Club _and _Hello, Dolly_." Pat rolls his eyes at me, knowing I'm not kidding.

"Why don't you just come over today, then? Kevin and Maggie are probably gonna be there later." I don't know why; they have families to spend the holiday with. "You should, too."

"I would, but I'm just...not up to it," I admit. He sighs and puts his frozen hand over mine and squeezes it tightly, knowing exactly what's on my mind. We're silent until he violently swerves into my driveway.

"Oh, wait!" He excitedly says once he puts the car in park. "Before I forget..." He reaches into the back seat and pulls out a small, square-shaped box wrapped in bright red paper and topped off with a big bow. "You didn't think I forgot my best friend on Christmas, did you?"

"I was hoping you did, or at least listened when I told you not to get me anything." I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at him, and he just smiles with a mock of innocence in return.

"Just take it." He dumps the gift in my lap. "You're rejecting our invitation for today; at least accept our gift."

"If it looks like it cost you guys more than 10$, I'm taking it back." He just laughs, rolls his eyes and pulls me in for a hug.

"You can't do that without a receipt," he teases in a singsongy tone. God dammit. "Call me if you change your mind later, okay?"

"You know I never do," I tell him before making my way inside.

Christmas afternoon, most normal kids spend their time playing with their new gadgets and getting ready to go see the rest of their family. In contrast, I'm in my pajamas, boiling water for tea and staring longingly at an old photo album, swallowing a lump in my throat every time I come across of Nick, dad and I together.

I feel my heart reach my throat when I hear a knock at the front door. Who the hell could that be? I quietly tiptoe over to the window to get a peek outside; it was Logan. I smile to myself as my heart races, my knees turn wobbly, and butterflies flutter around in my stomach. It all sounds so stupid, but there's no other way of describing it.

* * *

Brooklyn wasn't given much of a choice when I went to steal her out of her living room: go back to the Palm Woods, or die.

...okay, death obviously wasn't the second option. Actually, she wasn't really given a second option. I wasn't letting her spend Christmas alone. She definitely put up a fight at first, but it was pretty obvious that part of her wanted to just give in. Eventually, she did.

I stare at her from across the room as she sits on the floor, staring up at Katie, who babbled on to her about some nonsense. Brooklyn, most likely unable to contain herself, just laughs and Katie glares down at her. "Oh my god, you are _too_ adorable," Brooklyn says, reaching up to pat her on the head as the other two parts of the Knight family snicker from the kitchen, knowing exactly how their daughter/sister is going to react while Jo and I exchange amused glances. Katie's facial expression is a mixture between infuriated and horrified. "What're you, like, eight?"

"Ten, actually," Katie corrects, glaring down at her and shoving her hand away. Brooklyn giggles and shakes her head.

"I was the same way at your age, in a rush to grow up..." Her smile fades and she blankly stares out at nothing. "Enjoy being a kid while you can. You'll miss it when your 16." Katie glances over her shoulder, shooting me a look that quietly screamed, "She is _so_ weird."

"Now aren't you glad you're not stuck at home all by yourself?" I ask, moving closer toward her so I can help her up. She smiles and brushes off the bottom of her green sweater dress, which I thought looked cute paired with the black Doc Martens she clearly has separation anxiety with. James, on the other hand, was quick to scold her for the combination, and Brooklyn was quick to "accidentally" crush his toes with the rubber soles.

"Yeah, I guess," she admits, smiling down at the ground as I twirl a piece of her hair around my finger. My friends loudly cough in reply and I shoot them a glare.

"Really? Is this all we're getting?" Kendall asks with a smirk as Jo elbows him in the stomach. "What? Aren't we gonna see some of what happened last night?"

"Yeah, really," Carlos interjects. "We're tired of watching you two smile and poke at each other. We've been watching that for the past two months."

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" Kendall starts to chant, eventually bringing everyone else into doing so in unison. My eyes meet her big, brown ones that looked up at me with both hope and timidness. She bats her thick, black eyelashes, purses her lips together and stares down at my shirt. I can't help but chuckle as my friends go silent. I take her face in between my hands and feel it completely heat up.

"It's about time!" I overhear Carlos whisper. Jo is quick to shush him.

I pull her in closer and closer until I can gently lean my forehead up against hers and look down at her. She shows me her nervous but sweet smile before I whisper to her, "What? Did you think that it was only a one-time thing?" She just giggles, obviously relaxing a bit more, and wraps her arms around my neck.

"I was hoping it wasn't," is her quiet reply. Someone groans in frustration from behind us.

"Alright, today, please?" I hear Kendall complain. "Before you two give me diabetes?"

I graze my thumb against her smooth, trembling lips before moving in the rest of the way, planting the smallest, gentlest kiss on her. I feel the rest of her body relax as she slowly exhales and pushes her face harder up against mine, tangling her fingers in my hair. Two nights in a row; life's being good to me.

The guys whistle and cheer and I try and I wave my arm back in annoyance. I've got to get new friends.

* * *

When Logan kissed me, the whole world stopped.

Okay, I'm talking stupid again. I'm being brainwashed into...one of those things- one of those gross, lovesick puppies whose lives come straight from a Taylor Swift song, who dedicate all their time to trying to find their prince charming. The only difference is that I found mine.

_Oh my god, shut up, shut up, shut up!_

What the hell am I doing? I told myself I wasn't going to let this happen to me. I wasn't going to let some guy just come from nowhere and completely manipulate my mind until he's all I ever think about. But that's exactly what I let happen with Logan.

Although, this does really feel nice. His lips pressed up against mine, his arms around my waist, the two of us smiling and refusing to let go...

"Alright, alright, I've seen enough," Kendall says, leading the two of us to slowly and reluctantly pull apart.

"You asked for it," Logan shoots back with a smirk, his arms still tightly locked around me. I just laugh and rest my head on his chest as he gently runs his fingers through my hair. Our moment is ruined when my phone starts ringing from my pocket.

**Pat.** Of course. "Hello?" I ask, trying not to sound annoyed. Logan doesn't bother letting go of me.

"Hey," He suspiciously answers, probably hearing the noise in the background. "Uh, you still home?" I clear my throat, a little nervous to explain myself. I have a feeling Pat's gonna be angry that I ended up coming here instead.

"Um, no, actually," I quietly explain.

"Oh." He sounded both surprised and bothered. "You ended up going out?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm over at the Palm Woods with Logan and everyone." I know for a fact he's upset with me, but doesn't want to bother fighting.

"Alright, well, uh...just checking up on you, then." He pauses for a moment. "I'm glad you got out this year."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'll see you later, I guess..." He hangs up without another word. God dammit, no matter what I do, at least one person ends up unhappy in the end. This fucking sucks.

"He's mad at me," I state with a deep sigh, putting my phone back in it's rightful place.

"Why?" Logan subconsciously asks, grabbing my hand and leading me over to sit down on the couch.

"I don't know, probably because I came here after refusing to go to his place." I roll my eyes and fall back into the pillow behind me while lowering my voice into a mumble. "Whatever. He'll get over it." Logan bites down on his lower lip, probably trying to think of how to react. I know that he and Pat weren't exactly friends to begin with.

"Don't let it bother you," is all he can come up with. "You're finally celebrating Christmas again. Don't let that ruin if for you." Honestly, he has a point.

"You're right," I say with a sigh, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Well, more importantly..." Carlos starts, quickly changing the subject. "Can you guys just _pleeeaaase_ say you're together now?" It was kind of hard to take him seriously when he used that whiney voice while wearing that ridiculous helmet.

"Uh..." Logan says, looking a bit unsure.

"Ew, no," I tease. Carlos, Kendall and Jo sigh. James clearly isn't paying attention and Katie tries her hardest to ignore us.

"Shut up," Logan playfully demands, leaning in for another kiss. I can't help but smile and bring my lips to his yet again.

Maybe love isn't as bad as I've always made it out to be.


	24. Whatever It Takes

OHHAY. I'm in a strangely good mood today, and I'm not sure. You guys wanna hear about the total _Glee _moment I had earlier? Of course you do, because I'm so interesting. I don't even know if you guys read my nonsense anymore, but I'll pretend like someone cares and ramble anyway:  
So I had an audition today for this benefit concert, and about 30 minutes prior to our audition, my friend and I learned someone else already sang our song, so in that time we had to find a new song, learn it and find an incredible sight-reading guitar player, and we actually pulled it off. And we were just like, "It's like watching those Glee kids sing a song and automatically know everything from the harmonies to the choreography, because that sooo happens in our real-life show choir and we aren't stuck rehearsing till 11 at night the day before the concert. Just sayin'." ...and, on that random note, enjoy chapter 24!  
-Veg :D  
(PS: Any Tumblr users out there? If you like hearing my nonsense, look me up under the same username. xD)

* * *

The next few days after Christmas are always the most boring days of the year. Everyone's tired, gifts are already exchanged, and nothing relatively interesting is going to happen for a few more days until it's time for New Year's Eve. Lucky for me, I have someone to spend them with this year. Popcorn, hot cocoa, god-awful 80's horror movies and a surprisingly empty 2J; making Brooklyn happy is almost too easy.

"Oh my god, this is beautiful," Brooklyn says, laughing at the awful special effects and fake blood as she snuggles into my embrace. "Where the hell did you find this?" I tighten my grip around her and take a moment to inhale her sweet scent, and in return, she shoots me a weird look. "You're so weird."

"I have my moments," I admit, nuzzling into her neck. She's quick to cringe and bring her shoulders up. "Oh, come on..."

"You know I'm not...touchy," she replies, looking up at me innocently. "You're lucky with what you're getting now." I try to look at her seriously, but I'm not able to. She sighs and hangs her head in embarrassment. "Stop laughing at me!" I just smile and gently bring my lips to her neck and she tries to shrug me off. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"I didn't give up on you, did I?" I softly say, close to the point where my lips brushed up against her ear when I moved them. "I'm just trying to enjoy my victory..." She stares out at nothing with a mixture of confusion and unconformity shown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she tells me. I can tell she's lying. "It's just...I've been...never mind."

"You wanna talk?"

Her answer is too predictable. "I'm fine." I stare down at her, clearly worried, and she forces a smile back. "Really." She places her cold hand on my neck, slowly moving in and kissing me, a little rougher than the few times she has before. She's trying to distract me. I'm not stupid; but, I think it's working.

I sling my arms around her shoulders and rest my hands on the back of her neck. Brooklyn lets out a quiet sigh as her hands roam from my face to my shoulders to down my chest.

I'm brought back to reality by the harsh feeling of something cold and wet on the back of my head. I can't help but sigh and shake my head- only my friends... "What the hell?" Brooklyn mumbles, glaring over at our lovely friends decked out in black bandanas and aviator sunglasses and equipped with oversized water guns.

"Dude, what're you doing?" Carlos asks, as if it isn't completely obvious. "We're in the middle of a war here!" Yes, this is the same kid who got with a bunch of cheap escorts in Vegas.

"What the hell are you taking about?" Brooklyn asks, scrunching up her face.

"Fraternizing with the enemy!" Kendall shouts, ignoring Brooklyn's question as James shoots water directly in my face. Brooklyn covers her mouth and lets out a muffled laughter.

"This is what happens when the pool's closed," I explain, wiping my face with my sleeve, opening my eyes to Jo and Katie completely taking my other three friends down. Brooklyn looks up at me with her sparkling smile before standing up and ruffling my hair.

"Sorry, Logie," she sweetly says before quickly pecking my lips. "Looks like I'm gonna have to join the girls on this one."

* * *

I don't exactly understand the point of the little game I got myself involved in. "Just...shoot them," Katie explains to me, like it's so obvious. This little girl is so good at making me feel stupid.

"That's it...?" I ask, dumbly staring down at the plastic machine gun.

"There doesn't have to be a point to everything, Brooklyn," Jo points out with a giggle. She then quickly stops us in our track and pulls us around the corner to hide behind a wall. I get a quick glance at the other four across the lobby before Jo completely pulls me back. "Alright, something's up with them." She exchanges glances with Katie, then carefully creeps around the corner again, peeking through a conveniently placed fake plant. "They're never just out in the open like that..." She says this like it's something they do all the time. I try my hardest not to laugh.

"Maybe they hid someone somewhere," Katie suggests, nervously glancing behind her shoulder.

"Wait a minute..." Jo suddenly mumbles to herself. "What's going on out here?" I gaze over her shoulder and through the plastic leaves, only to find Logan still there, but the rest of the guys missing. He was talking to a very familiar looking girl. Jo sighs to herself. "Camille..." Ah, of course.

"Uh-oh," Katie says in a singsongy tone. "Crazy's coming to start some drama..."

"What?" I curiously question.

"Oh, come on," Katie answers. "You don't see it? Camille's gonna start sobbing to Logan over there because he's finally swapping spit with another girl." Jo glares down at her, most likely for her choice of words. "_What_? It's true!"

"Camille found out about you and Logan," Jo elaborates, sighing and shaking her head. "And she's definitely not happy."

"How'd she find out?" I nervously ask. It's definitely not that I'm scared of her, it's just that I'm more nervous of her around Logan, remembering the day I saw her kiss him.

"Who knows?" Jo shrugs. "She always finds out...everything."

"She's a little on the crazy side, in case you haven't noticed," Katie interjects, more bluntly. I shift my gaze back toward the two; Camille looks awfully upset, like she's on the verge of crying, and Logan looks horribly confused.

God dammit, I wish I can hear them.

Logan's face scrunches up and he looks like he's arguing with her, furiously waving his hands around as he talks. Camille hangs her head in either embarrassment or shame, and Logan looks like he's unable to handle her sadness. He shakes his head and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, obviously talking much nicer to her now. She looks up at him and purses her lips together, and he pulls her into a friendly hug. Both Jo and Katie look at me, like I'm supposed to be infuriated or something. Alright, so sure I'm nervous, but I'm not mad. Logan isn't the kind of jerk to upset someone and not care.

Of course, that's before I see Camille look up at Logan and put a hand on his cheek. I know what she's going to try and my first instinct is to shoot at them.

Luckily, a smart little girl named Katie Knight beats me to it.

* * *

Camille really got me thinking earlier. She actually made me feel bad, and I didn't like it one bit.

"_Brooklyn's with Katie and Jo right now, isn't she?_" She asked me when she saw my friends and I in our water gun fight. I just nodded, well aware of what she was going to say. She sighs and lets her head fall down past her shoulders. "You know, that used to be me in her place, playing your silly little prank wars..." I wanted to tell her that it wasn't a prank war, and neither of them definitely aren't silly, but that conversation is meant for a completely different situation.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, frustrated. "You were never my girlfriend!"

"I could've been," she softly replied, staring down at her feet. I sighed and pulled her into a friendly hug, obviously feeling awful.

"Look, Camille, I-"

She then looked up at me with her sad, brown eyes and said, "I love you, Logan." She gently placed a hand on my cheek, slowly moving closer to my face, and all I could think was, _"Oh, god..."_

But that was when a familiar stream of cold water made contact with our faces. My heart was racing- that meant the girls were around somewhere, which meant Brooklyn was watching, probably upset.

"No you don't, Camille," I told her, shaking my head and wiping the water off my face. "There are plenty more guys out there for you, but it's just not me."

"Do you love Brooklyn?" She suddenly asked, sounding a little mischievous. That was when I stopped in complete shock.

"Uh, that's not important right now," I quickly replied. Camille just smirked at me and rolled her eyes.

"Okay. That's all I needed to hear."

That was a good question- do I love Brooklyn?

_Of course you do, stupid._

Of course I do- the second I met her, she was all that was ever on my mind. She has a smile that can light up a whole room with eyes as dark as coal that sparkled like gems. I love the feeling I get when I tangle my fingers in her soft hair and inhale her sweet scent. When I hold her in my arms, I don't have a care in the world. All I can ever do is love the good about her and easily see past the few negatives. I love her. I love her, I'm just too scared to admit it, and way to scared to tell her.

"So, uh," Jo starts once Brooklyn leaves, both her and Katie suspiciously looking up at me. "What was that with you and Camille earlier?" I sigh- I knew they were watching.

"She, uh, needed to talk," I reply, unsure of how to put the situation in to words.

"Yeah, _obviously_," Katie snorts. "If I didn't step in to save the day, she would've slobbered all over you."

"That was you?" I ask, glaring at her.

"Obviously," she retorts, crossing her arms. "I didn't think Brooklyn would do it herself."

"...was she mad?" I bite my lower lip and stare down at my feet.

"She should've been." I don't really understand why I'm being interrogated by a 10 year-old who doesn't know the first thing about a relationship, but Jo nods in agreement.

"She should've been, but she just shrugged it off," Jo explains. Of course- Brooklyn's really good at ignoring her feelings.

"But...nothing happened," I defend. "I mean, I wasn't going to let anything-"

"Oh, god..." Jo cuts me off. "_What_ did she tell you?"

"Well, uh," I take a deep breath. "For starters, she told me she loves me-"

_"What?"_ The two ask in unison.

"What do you even say to that?" Katie questions.

"That she was being absurd and there's plenty of other guys out there for her," I say with a shrug, and they give me a satisfied nod. "But then she, uh..."

"She what?" Jo asks as Katie mumbles a long stream of indecipherable words.

"She asked me if I love Brooklyn." Both Jo and Katie roll their eyes.

"She's trying to challenge you," Jo points out. "She's playing all these...mind tricks so you can over-think like you're doing right now."

"Yeah, but..." They both give me a frustrated look. "I think I do." Katie groans and is quick to walk towards her room.

"Alright, I've had enough," she says before slamming her door. Jo just snickers and shakes her head.

"What would you do if Kendall told you he loves you?" I ask her.

"He has," she simply replies, shrugging her shoulders.

"That wasn't any help."

"Sorry, but..." She sighs and I roll my eyes. "Alright, we all know you're madly in love with this girl. It's obvious enough." I cross my arms and give her a questioning look. "What? Oh, come on- we've all known it since you started coming home from tutoring her with that dumb look on your face. You love her, Logan- you and Brooklyn are the only oblivious ones. I can't believe I actually have to tell you this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I quietly say.

"Just...don't tell Brooklyn that just yet," she then adds in. "She's not exactly the type of girl to go for that stuff, incase you haven't noticed. She'd just be really weirded out." Ugh, of course.

I don't want to wait. That's my problem.


	25. A Happy New Year

So, I'm just gonna warn you guys that I'm in another weird slump. I'm at the point where I'm like, "Alright...where the hell is this going, now?" and so it's really hard to force myself to right. Don't worry, though, because I'm determined to figure it out. :P  
- Veg

* * *

New Year's Eve- it's a time for change. For myself this year, it's all for the better. The party is at my house this time around, with my new friends joining us.

"Where are the kids tonight?" Pat asks, searching through every cabinet in my kitchen. I inform him that they're with their father, and he mutters something to himself about "god damned alcohol." I point him in the right direction. "You'd think I'd know this by now..." I just laugh and glance over at everyone in the living room. Kevin sat on the couch, strumming his guitar with Kendall and Jo watching next to him, while Maggie strived for the attention of Carlos and James, who both clearly weren't paying any attention and Logan awkwardly watched it all, awaiting my return. Pat snickers when he notices my observations. "Of all the people to have together at the same time..." I quietly nod and he hands me the newfound bottle from the pantry. "They're not gonna get all, like, pansy-ass on us for drinking, are they?" I just shrug, pretending like that wasn't the first thought to come to my mind.

"They'll get over it," I say, with a hope they will. We're silent for a moment as I frantically search for a bottle opener, taking note of the microwave clock that reads 8:31 PM.

"So, uh, how're things going so far with you and Logan?" Pat finally asks.

"Good," I immediately reply, wanting to forget the little incident with Camille the other day.

"You know...if he hurts you, I'll kick his ass," he casually tells me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks, Pat," I reply, rolling my eyes and slamming the silverware drawer shut.

"I wasn't kidding." I wish you were. "You know, I think it's time he and I have a little talk..."

"Oh my god, no," I immediately say, ignoring my excitement over just finding what I was looking for. "I swear to god, Pat-"

"I just want to make sure-"

"No, no, no, no, no!" I retort, then calm down and sigh once he stops. "I can take care of myself. You don't have to play dad to me."

"That's what you always say," he grumbles before following me back into the living room. I dramatically present the bottle of Smirnoff, and Maggie and Kevin proceed to loudly cheer.

"Two claps for Brooklyn!" Kevin shouts before he, Pat and Maggie all clap twice in unison. I can't help but burst out into laughter, remembering the night that started: after the first night of one of our shows this summer, we sat in this diner down the street for hours, tormenting the poor workers. Needless to say, we were kicked out.

The other five shoot us a look of confusion. "Oh, sorry," Pat says, rather rudely and clearing his throat. "It was one of those "you had to be there" things." In response, Logan mumbles something indecipherable under his breath and rolls his eyes. Kevin grabs the bottle out of my hands and quickly changes the subject.

"Alright, let's open this fucker up," he says with a smirk, gesturing for me to hand him the bottle opener.

"I can already see where this is going," Logan says with a sigh as he returns to his rightful place at my side, wrapping his arms around my waist. I can only pray that our habits don't bother him that much. The bottle opens with a pop and Kevin immediately hands it to me.

"Do the honors," he dramatically says as I grab it from him and take a quick swig of the cheap vodka. "And don't forget to save room for the cheap champagne, either..." He shoots Pat a look, who quickly puts his hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry! It's all I could get!" He says.

"Oh, just shut up and drink," I say, shoving the bottle back toward him. I look at Logan from the corner of my eye; he's pretending not to pay attention, but I know he is.

* * *

Brooklyn drank. Pat drank. Maggie and Kevin drank. Even Kendall, Carlos, James and Jo stole a sip. But I didn't. I couldn't. I wouldn't.

Brooklyn doesn't care much; then again, alcohol tends to do that to a person. On the other hand, Pat is quick to mock me. "God, what a fucking pansy," I hear him mumble before taking another swig. Everyone else distracted by Kevin, carefully coming out of the kitchen with an armful of shot glasses.

"I have an idea," he says in a singsongy tone.

"Really, Kevin?" Brooklyn teases. "Drinking games? What, are we in 8th grade again?" Mentally, I quirk an eyebrow, only able to think, _"Please tell me she's kidding."_

"Actually, we were far past that in middle school," Pat snorts. Oh, god, _please_ tell me this is a joke.

"Alright, alright," Kevin says, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "How about _Never Have I Ever?_"

"Ah, what the hell." Brooklyn says with a shrug, taking a seat next to him and pulling me over with her. Everyone follows, creating a circle on the rug. "You don't have to play if you don't want to..." She quietly tells me, resting her head on my shoulder and hugging my arm.

"It's not like he'd end up drinking, anyway," Pat quietly sneers to himself.

"Okay, can you chill?" Brooklyn finally defends. "You've been acting like a real dick tonight."

**...awkward silence.**

"_Oo_-kay, so..." Kendall finally says, filling the silence by clearing his throat.

"Who's gonna start?" Maggie asks with a shrug.

"I will," Brooklyn immediately says. She looks directly at Pat and narrows her eyes into slits. "Never have I ever cheated on someone."

"Oh, fuck you," he grumbles, before both he and James take a shot of the intoxicating substance. Figures. "Alright, fine then." He glares back at her. "Never have I ever been proposed to," he snorts. "From someone I don't even fucking know." She laughs rather obnoxiously before taking her drink.

"Uh, _what_?" I ask.

"Yeah, Brooklyn, why don't you explain?" Pat asks with a mock of innocence. "After all, it is such a _good_ story-"

"Fuck you." She immediately cuts him off before looking up at me. "I swear, it was nothing. I dated this guy for like a month, and I broke it off when he started getting all weird and taking about getting married." She looks back over at Pat. "It wasn't an actual proposal. But, since you want to be such a douche..."

"You know, the rest of us are still playing," Kendall hints, but she ignores him.

"Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex," she says with a smirk. Pat grumbles something under his breath as everyone watches him take his shot.

"_I kissed a boy, and I liked it_," Kevin sings to him, and Pat shoots him a look that basically reads, "Shut the fuck up, or you'll wake up with the shot glass stuck in your throat."

"Never have I ever woken up with a hangover in someone's house I didn't know," Pat spits back.

"Never have I ever had an STD from some grimy whore," Brooklyn quickly spits back, not bothering to take a shot.

"Never have I ever ditched my best friends on Christmas to go hang out with someone else."

"Never have I ever been a dick to my friend's boyfriend."

"Never have I ever had someone call me a bitch to my face."

"Yeah? You're a bitch. There, now you have." The two continue to go back and fourth, until Jo is brave enough to finally step in.

"Okay, okay!" She raises her voice, rolling her eyes. "I know I don't really know anything you're talking about, but I do know you're both being ridiculous." Pat and Brooklyn exchange glares again as Brooklyn snuggles into my arm again.

"I need some fresh air," she mumbles to herself before sweetly looking up at me. "Come outside with me?" I silently nod and help her up. "Sorry about that," she says with a sigh once we're on her front porch, closing the door behind us. I take a seat on the porch swing and she's quick to follow. "He can be an ass sometimes."

"Don't apologize," I say with a shrug.

"No, he was being a jerk to you," she argues, resting her head on my chest. "I'm sorry. He acts like a fucking five year old."

"Honestly, it didn't bother me," I assure her. She takes a deep breath and laces her fingers in between mine as I tangle my fingers in her soft hair.

"You're too nice. It almost makes me sick."

"Well, we make a nice contrast," I quietly tease as she glares up at me. She tries to keep a straight face, but a smile eventually breaks through. "Uh, Brooklyn?"

"Yeah?"

I love you.

"...nothing."

Pat ended up leaving, and I guess it was only for the better. The tension and pressure all disappeared after that.

I watch as Brooklyn, Jo and Maggie all gather in the kitchen, madly giggling over something that none of the guys are sure of. They look over at us, then resume their hushed conversation. "I wonder what they're talking about," Carlos says out loud, childishly scrunching up his face.

"Between Brooklyn and Maggie, I _don't_ want to know," Kevin answers, continuing to quietly strum on his guitar.

"I'll bet you five bucks it's about me," James says, staring at his reflection in the window as he pulls his comb out of his pocket to fix the hair that there's absolutely nothing wrong with.

"And you guys call me stupid..." Carlos mumbles to himself. I don't really care what they're talking about. All I can do is watch Brooklyn and smile.

Eventually, we all died down a little until it reached 11:58 and we all surrounded the TV to watch the festivities in New York City. Brooklyn curls up next to me, her eyes lighting up as she watches what was once her home. "Have you ever gone there on New Year's?" I ask out of curiosity, twirling a piece of her hair around my finger. She nods and doesn't bother to peel her eyes off the TV.

"My dad would take me every year," she quietly replies.

**5...4...3...2..**

"HAPPY FUCKING NEW YEAR!" Kevin shouts, pulling us all out of a trance when we hear a popping noise. "Oh, shit..." Everyone stares down at the champagne, exploding out of the bottle as Kevin tries to catch as much of it in a glass as he can.

"Nice going, Kev," Brooklyn sneers, grabbing a full glass from him. I even end up taking one, even with no intention of drinking it. "So...here's to a new year, and..."

"A new semester!" Kevin excitedly says, raising his glass.

"New friends!" James smugly interjects, as Maggie slides in between him and Carlos. They both look down at the perky redhead with goofy smiles.

Kendall obviously feels the need to add, "Our new album, coming out next month!"

"Finally having auditions for The Sound of Music next week!" Maggie excitedly announces.

"To Brooklyn and Logan finally being together!" Carlos exclaims, a little louder than necessary.

"Even though neither of them ever followed any of my plans!" Jo teases, playfully glaring at the two of us. Everyone then gets silent and stares at me, obviously waiting for me to day something.

"Whaaatt?" I ask, childishly. "You guys already said everything."

"Oh, come on," Kendall says. "There has to be something else."

"Yeah, stop cheating," Brooklyn whines and pouts.

"Fine," I reply, raising my glass. "Here's to..." I look down at Brooklyn and smile. "Here's to my insane friends and my incredible girlfriend." They all laugh at me and I quickly peck Brooklyn's lips before we clang our glasses together.

Unexpectedly, I down the whole glass.


	26. One Of Those Nights

I dunno why, but I feel like this chapter's so short. o.o Eh, anyway, sorry it took so long. Like I said, weird slump, forcing myself to write even though I have no idea where the hell it's going...yup.. I think my problem is that I've got so many fucking ideas it's just hard to organize them. D: I'm an unorganized person... like, instead of doing my fucking lit analysis and research paper, I'm writing BTR fanfiction. Yup...that's me...xD  
- Veg

* * *

We're pretty much at that point of New Year's Eve none of us are going to remember in a few hours. Happy 2 AM.

"God dammit, I need to go blast a joint," Kevin announces, stepping towards the door. "This cheap shit isn't getting me anywhere." Hey, he has a point, but I can't help but laugh, considering the crummy alcohol clearly had an effect on our virgin drinkers. For example: I glance over at Carlos and James. If there's such a thing as having too much fun, it's the situation those two always seem to get themselves in.

Carlos, his helmet sloppily worn backwards and crooked, had his arms tightly wrapped around James, as they stumbled over each other, making some sort of noise that sounded like a wasted version of _Auld Lang Syne_. Of course, I could be wrong, because their slurred words are indecipherable. "God, why didn't we try this earlier?" Kendall asks his girlfriend with a chuckle. It doesn't surprise me the two of them ended up the sensible drinkers out of the eight of us. I glance over at Logan, who appears to be a mixture of half asleep and horribly confused.

"You okay?" I ask, laughing a little. He just shows me a weary smile and rests his head on my shoulder.

"C'mon, I didn't drink _that_ much," he replies.

"Well, what you had was obviously enough," I argue, playfully shoving his shoulder. He makes a weird noise and falls back into the couch, then yawns loudly. I sigh and shake my head; you know, I tend to do that a lot when I'm with this group. Logan smirks at me and, rather roughly, presses his lips up against mine, literally tangling his fingers in my hair. After a minute, I'm pretty sure I've had enough. "Alright, alright," I say, pulling away. "Air is good. I like breathing." Kendall and Jo snicker from across the room.

"Logan, heel," Kendall snorts. "We can all still see you. Keep your pants on."

"Speaking of people who can't keep their pants on," Maggie suddenly blurts out, and the room goes completely silent. Everyone turns to blankly stare at her, even the drunkest of the drunk. "How do you think Pat's doing?" I try my hardest not to howl with laughter.

"Dead, hopefully," I scoff, and she immediately hits my arm.

"You're so full of shit, Brooklyn," she tells me, rolling her eyes. "You say that, but if it were really the case, you'd be on the floor, having a mental breakdown. You guys are best friends, you love each other and you'll be talking again by tomorrow night at the latest." I grumble to myself and stare down at my feet, unwilling to answer. "It's all part of being best friends."

"She's right," Jo adds in with a shrug. I sigh, let my head hang and grumble a long stream of curse words under my breath.

"I'm going to change," I say, getting up and heading towards my room. Staying in an attractive outfit isn't exactly comfortable at 2 AM.

Stumbling over a few books on the floor, I reach inside to flip my light switch on, nearly blinding myself. I rummage through a pile of clean clothes on a floor until I find a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to get comfortable in.

_"...for auld lang syne, my d-deeeeaaar_  
_For aaauuulld laaaanee ssssynnne-"_

"Will you two shut up?" I growl down the hallway as I pull my t-shirt over my head. Carlos and James then go quiet, but I can still faintly decipher their drunken murmurs. I knew this wasn't necessarily a "good" idea...

I nearly jump when I hear my door violently swing open. "Jesus Christ!" I exclaim, holding my sweatpants in front of my legs as my eyes make contact with Logan's drowsy brown ones. "Ever heard of knocking?" He just chuckles, shakes his head and moves in closer. "Can I at least put some fucking pants on?"

"Are you okay?" He suddenly asks. I swear to god, I'm never letting him drink ever again.

"Just fucking peachy." He smiles again, clearly not picking up on my sarcasm.

"Good."

"I wasn't being-" I'm cut off by Logan's lips roughly crashing up against mine. God dammit, can I at least finish a sentence?

I know to be worried when he quietly groans and starts to slide his hands up the bottom of my shirt. I try my hardest to pull away, but am unable to escape his grip. Logan eventually stumbles over what's probably his own feet, landing us both on my bed. Shit. Please don't tell me this is going where I think it is.

* * *

I'm woken up later that morning by the sun peering through a window, nearly blinding me. My whole body aches, my head is pounding and my overall state is just awful. I force my heavy eyelids open, glancing next to me only to find that I'm not sleeping alone. I nervously lock my gaze on the mass of brown curls laying next to me, my arms loosely slung around the frail body. Oh, god...please don't tell me we...

Brooklyn then turns over, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she smugly smiles at me. "Morning," she quietly says, ruffling my hair. I take a moment to stare down at her- she still has a shirt on, and I'm still in my clothes from last night. That means nothing could have happened...right? "Feel like shit, don't you?" I can barely manage to nod, and she just closes her eyes and laughs. "I'm never letting you drink ever again...or Carlos and James."

"Oh, god...what happened?" I nervously ask. She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Well, the morons spent the night singing their drunken rendition of _Auld Lang Syne_," she explains, and I try my hardest not to laugh. "And then..." She scrunches up her nose, obviously trying to collect her thoughts. "Oh, I got annoyed because Maggie was telling me not to be mad at Pat, so I came back here to change...and then you barged in here and, like, sexually assaulted me." I feel my entire face heat up. Well, that's...humiliating. "But then you passed out in my bed and refused to let go of me, so I just kinda had to suck it up and fall asleep, too."

"Oh, uh, sorry..." I say, tightly and embarrassedly pursing my lips together.

She giggles again, saying, "It's fine," and gently brings her lips to mine. And, even I have to admit, nothing was more tempting than doing so in a bed. I guess I've changed a bit since I've met Brooklyn. She then presses her forehead up against mine and looks me straight in the eye. "Can I please put my pants on now?" All I can really do is shoot her a confused look. "Well, you kind of walked in on me in the middle of changing, so..." I'm the one to laugh this time as I tighten my grip around her.

"I don't know. This is kind of nice." Nuzzling into her neck, I attempt to pull her even closer. Of course, being the way she is, Brooklyn cringes and sinks her neck into her shoulders.

"Oh, come on," she whines, trying to squirm out of my hold, but I don't budge.

"Come on? You're not the one who woke up feeling like you just got hit by a train," I attempt to argue. "Now that I think about it, if I have anyone to blame, it's you." If there's one thing I love more than anything else about Brooklyn, it's her easygoing sense of humor. Seriously, if I were talking to any other girl like this, they'd probably either be brought to tears or tempted to punch me in the face; but not Brooklyn.

"Hey, I didn't force anything on you," she shoots back, jabbing my stomach with her index finger. "You tried to look like some hot-shot when you downed that cheap champagne like nothing."

"Ow...!" I whine, clutching my stomach. Brooklyn then smiles to herself and kisses my forehead.

"Come on," she says, sitting up and pulling a pair of sweatpants toward her from the foot of the bed. "Let's go see where everyone else ended up."

It isn't surprising, really; James is passed out on the floor, under the coffee table, Carlos is curled up in a ball in the corner, his helmet completely covering his face, Kendall and Jo are cuddled up next to each other on the couch, and Maggie and Kevin are nowhere to be found. "Alright, where are the other two nimrods?" Brooklyn mutters to herself, placing her hands on her hips. Right on cue, Maggie stumbles out of a room down the hallway, half-dressed and clearly a mess. "Please don't tell me Kevin's in there, too..." Maggie opens her mouth to answer, but Brooklyn puts her hand up in defense. "I said don't tell me." As Brooklyn continues to cautiously question her friend, I slowly creep over to my friends, unsure of what to do. I tried poking, pushing and kicking Carlos, but all I really got was a groan. After a few minutes, I hear him let out a clearly delayed, "Ow!"

"Oh, come on," Brooklyn then says to me from across the hallway. "You can't just wake him up like that. You gotta fuck with him a little." I didn't really like the sound of that, so I just shrug and look at her innocently. "Observe." She then runs, on her toes, back in to her room, and immediately comes out with a blow horn. Oh god... Why does she even own one of those?

She tiptoes over to James and kneels down next to him. She brings her index finger to her lips and lets out a quiet, "Shhh," before letting the loud, screeching noise out on James' ear. James immediate reaction is a loud shriek and jumping up, only to hit his head underneath the table. I place my hand over my mouth, trying my hardest not to laugh. I really shouldn't find this funny.

"What are you guys doing?" Kendall groans, burying his face in the arm of the couch. Our laughter goes silent and James loudly groans in pain.

"Trying to kill me- _that's_ what they're doing," James mumbles, rubbing the top of his head. "God, what time is it?"

"Like, 11," Brooklyn snorts before releasing the god-awful blow horn sound once again, most likely for the hell of it.

"Oh my god, why do you, of all people, have that thing?" I finally ask out loud. She shrugs and blows it yet again, leaving us all to cringe and plug our ears.

"Alright, maybe we should get ready to go," Kendall reluctantly says, trying to shake Jo awake. "My mom's gonna kill us."

"Hey, if she asks, you guys took my brothers' rooms and were asleep by 11," Brooklyn teases, wrapping her arms around me. Kendall then proceeds to wake everyone up and attempts to make everyone look like they don't really have am awful hangover, while Brooklyn and I just stand there, clearly useless. Unfortunately, it soon came to the time where we all had to say our goodbyes for the day.

"Brooklyn?" I ask her once all my friends are waiting on the porch outside.

"Yeah?" She subconsciously asks, obviously staring at something else.

I love you.

Oh, god, shut _up_. It's too soon.

"Uh...bye." She just laughs and gently pecks my lips. I don't want to leave. I really don't.


	27. Without You

Hola, everyone! And Merry Christmas! I'm baaack, finally! It literally took me **forever** to right this one, but now that it's out of the way, I have the majority of my ideas straightened out, and even some ideas for how I want this to end... I know, I know, it's sad. Honestly, I could go on forever with this story, but I'm gonna have to stop myself soon. :( But, anyways, enjoy chapter 27! You're all definitely in for some, erm, **surprises**...  
- Veg :)

* * *

_"Brooklyn?"_ A frantic voice asks me over the phone that just happens to belong to Pat's mother. _"I need you...to come down to the hospital. Please. As soon as possible."_

There is so much not right about my life.

I blankly stare down at my pale-faced, sleeping friend in his hospital bed, completely shocked and speechless. A drunk driver on New Year's Eve, driving home from my house after our stupid argument. Our stupid, dumb fight that I don't even remember the cause of anymore, and it doesn't even matter, because my best friend is in a coma and it's all my fault.

I must've been the last one to get the message, because Maggie, Kevin and plenty others are already there. There's so many people jammed into one hospital room it almost depressed me. Pat is such a well-liked person the thought depressed everyone. I can't take this. I feel my knees complete give in as I swallow the huge lump in my throat. I stumble over my own feet; Kevin has to catch me from completely falling over. He keeps me in a tight hold and strokes my hair while trying to calm me down.

I was sobbing uncontrollably, ignoring the uncomfortable stares everyone gives me. Kevin and Maggie try to shush and comfort me, but it's no use. Everything they say goes in one ear and comes straight out the other. I can only focus at my poor, sleeping friend and the bruised and scratches on his fair skin. _My fault. All my fault._

What was that stupid argument even about? Should I even call it an argument? No, it was just the two of us being stupid... because Pat was being a jerk to Logan- that's what it was.

I hear Pat's mom sweetly go up to everyone individually and ask them to leave until it's Maggie, Kevin and myself are the only ones left with her. I probably look like a fucking moron, crying hysterically like this. Even his mom was calm, and that was her son in the hospital bed, completely knocked out, hooked up to an IV...

I can't take this. I can't stand seeing him like this. My legs finally give in completely and I collapse out of Kevin's grip and onto the floor.

Pat, I love you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. You're my best friend, and nothing in this world will change that. Please, wake up. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd die without you.

* * *

It's been over a week since Brooklyn has even acknowledged me. She's ignored my calls and texts, and the few times I've tried to go over her house she hasn't been home. All I can really say is that I'm terrified to see what's really going on.

"Have you heard from Brooklyn...at all lately?" I can't help but ask Jo. She sighs and shakes her head.

"I haven't heard from her since last week," Jo replies.

"I haven't, either," I quietly tell her. She crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows at me.

"You think everything's okay?" She then asks, sounding a lot more concerned this time. I bite my lower lip and shrug.

"I sure hope so," I whisper.

"Maybe you should go see her," is all she can suggest before she has to go off to her impatient boyfriend, crazily waving his arms from across the lobby.

The thing is, I already tried that. I sigh and let myself fall back into an empty chair with nothing on my mind but Brooklyn. I remember waking up with her cuddled into my arms New Year's Day and how peaceful she looked. Well, then again, that's the only thing I really remember from the time I spent there last week.

Maybe I should just try and go see her again.

I glance down at my phone, obviously not really expecting a call or text (although, my hopes were high), but just to check the time. I can't imagine what she could possibly be doing away from home at 7 on a Wednesday night, so I guess it's worth a shot.

"Are you...alright?" I hear a familiar voice interrupt my deep thoughts. I take a quick glance over my shoulder, only to lay eyes on the least expected person: Camille.

"Yeah," I simply reply, with absolutely no intention of holding a conversation with her. "Just... thinking."

"What about?" She questions, taking a seat next to me, clearly not reading my hint.

"It's just-" I start, but then quickly stop myself. "Nothing."

"What?" She asks again, scooting in closer to me this time and gently running her fingers through my hair. Clearly uncomfortable, I nervously gulp and shrug her off. Clearly annoyed, she sighs and crosses her arms. "What?" She lowers her voice to an irritated mumble. "Girlfriend troubles?"

"Brooklyn and I are perfectly fine, thank you," I retort, shooting her a glare and sliding further away from her. Camille just scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"You know, you've turned into a real bitch since you started dating her."

"Alright, I don't have time for this," I immediately stand up. "I don't know why the two of us cause such an inconvenience for you, but-"

"Oh, you _don't_ know why, huh?" She questions in return, narrowing her eyes into slits. "Because _I love you_; that's why."

"We already had this conversation, Camille." I shake my head and stare down at the ground, ignoring the stares the two of us are getting. "You don't-"

"You can't tell me what my own feelings are, Logan," she tells me, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Especially since you don't even acknowledge me anymore..."

"Well, that's only because-!" I'm cut off by Camille, grabbing my shirt and roughly pulling my lips closer to hers until they touch.

_That's only because you try and pull stunts like this._

I can't help but let it stay like that; not because I like it or really wanted to kiss Camille, but because I'm completely shocked. Once I get my thoughts collected, though, I immediately pull away, and without another word, I leave.

* * *

It's been a week, and Pat's still asleep, and the doctors at the hospital have still done no justice.

_"Pat's stubborn,"_ his mom would joke, trying to lighten our moods. _"He'll wake up when he feels like it."_

If he wakes up at all.

Eyes sad, bloodshot and droopy, I longingly stare up at the TV screen. Pat made me this DVD over the summer for my birthday; it was just filled with a bunch of pictures and clips from performances we've done, but it brings me to the verge of tears every time I watch it- and this time, I'm actually crying.

_"Life goes on, but I'm gone, 'cause I'd die without you..."_

As I stop a tear from falling down my cheek, I can't help but smile a little when I hear the roar our Save The Music crowd gave us when we sang our last chord together last year. I also can't help but laugh when I see him run and slide across the stage, tackling me with a hug before the two of us take our final bow. Everyone knew we were an inseparable pair from the moment I set foot in that school. You know, it's thanks to Pat that I'm even in that school. If he never pushed me into auditioning...

As the DVD switches to Pat's hilarious rendition of "If I Only Had a Brain" from one of our _Wizard of Oz_ performances, someone rings the doorbell, and my thoughts immediately stop. I let out a deep sigh, not wanting to move from the couch. The sad thing is, I don't think I've moved from my spot since last night. I know it's probably Logan, worrying himself sick because we haven't talked in a few days. It's not that I don't want to talk to him personally, but I don't feel like talking to anyone. I don't feel like doing anything, either, or going anywhere.

The doorbell rings again, and I reluctantly pull myself off the couch and wrap my blanket tightly around the shoulders. Prior to opening the door, I take a quick peek outside. Yup, Logan... I gently swing the door open and give him a quiet, "Hi," before letting him inside. His whole face lights up and he unexpectedly tackles me with a hug and kiss.

"Where the hell have you been?" He excitedly asks, refusing to let go of me as I struggle to reach out and close the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm...fine," is all I can manage to get out with a giant lump in my throat.

"Hey..." He sweetly says, gently wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. "What's wrong?"

I have to tell him I can't keep it in any longer. I break down in tears, mourning to Logan over my friend's accident- an accident that could've been easily avoided if we never got into that stupid fight.

"Brooklyn, I'm so sorry," Logan quietly whispers into my ear, running his fingers through my hair as I sob on his shoulder. "But you have to remember that absolutely none of this is anyone's fault, except for the drunken moron who got in their car that night. Pat will be fine, I promise."

"You don't know that," I barely manage to squeak.

"I promise you, he will," he shows me a sweet, pleasant smile. "I wanted to be a doctor way before I wanted to be a pop star." He gently presses his forehead up against mine and stares directly in my eyes, giving me that sweet, innocent look he seems to wear so well. I can't help but smile and cuddle up closer to him. "So, what're you watching?" He furrows his brow at the TV and the picture of Pat and I that the DVD paused on.

"Oh," I reply, wincing in emotional pain yet again. "...Pat made it for me. It's just a lot of pictures and videos of our...nonsense," I play it again, curious to see what's coming up next. Bad idea.

It was my performance of "If I Only Had the Nerve" from when I played the Lion in _The Wizard of Oz._ It was definitely embarrassing, which is why Pat felt obligated to sneak it in there. My costume was just awful, because I might as well have been naked on stage. It only consisted of this little tan tube top and matching torn up skirt, both completely covered in fur, with these awful, 20-pound leg and arm warmers to match. On top of that, my hair was brushed out to be super frizzy and my face was painted in shades of orange and yellow- I looked more like an indecent savage than a cowardly lion, but everyone seemed to get a kick out of it. Especially when I had to dance- oh, God, that dance... As if being in a skimpy costume wasn't enough, I had to do this crummy dance while I sang my song that consisted of me crawling all over the floor. It looked like something that would come from a drunken burlesque performance, and of course, every single pervert in the audience enjoyed it way more than he should have.

Logan watches the whole thing with this smug smile that I wanted to smack right off his face. "Alright, alright," I finally say, stopping the DVD. "That's enough." He chuckles as he gently brings his lips to my neck, sending a chill down my spine.

"You don't, uh, by any chance... still have that costume, do you?" He teases before continuing his train of kisses.

"Logan!" I sternly reply, hitting him with a pillow. "Don't be a pig- I thought you were above that."

"I'm still a guy," he defends.

Both of our smiles fade for a moment as he stares at me with this serious face; and I have to admit, it's a little strange. But, before I can even think, his lips boisterously crash down on mine, leading me to fall back into the couch.

As we stumble into my room and my t-shirt goes from over my head to on the ground, I'm not thinking about anyone but the two of us. I'm not depressed over Pat or worrying myself sick over how lost my brothers are without me as they spend time with their estranged father. The only things that matter are myself, Logan and the moment we're about to share together.

It kind of ends up feeling like this never-ending train of pain going throughout my whole body, along with this awful, nauseous feeling in my stomach, but I didn't want it to stop. Although Logan tried to be as gentle as possible, it still hurt. There were points where he'd actually looked worried. "We can stop if you want," he told me countless times, but I didn't want to. It was somehow the best and worst feeling at the same time.

And when it was all over, Logan completely collapses next to me and still holds me tight, even though he almost immediately falls asleep. That's when I started feeling lousy again- thinking about my brothers, Pat, and everyone else besides myself.

* * *

I've only seen Brooklyn cry one other time since we've met, which was that night in Vegas. But, she was drunk and probably didn't know a single thing that was going on, so I don't think that really counts. Tonight was different, though. Tonight, she really broke down.

_"I've got Brooklyn in my blood,"_ I remember her joking to me once. _"I don't show weakness."_ But, I guess that's only to a certain extent, because Pat's accident was clearly crossing her border. She went on for a good twenty minutes when she tried to explain to me what happened, and completely broke down into hysterical crying. Nothing could've been worse than seeing her like that.

I glance over at the big mess of brown waves over her brown shoulders, lying pressed up against me. _"Brooklyn in my blood,"_- god, she's just too cute...

She brought me to doing something tonight that I wasn't expecting to happen until much later in my life. But, I guess neither of us could resist ourselves; I love her, and...

I hear Brooklyn quietly groan as she begins to toss and turn in her restless sleep. My immediate reaction is to tighten my grip and quietly shush her, which actually works. Poor kid can't even get some peace when she's sleeping- I would bet anything that she's even dreaming about problem's that aren't even hers.

All I can really do is tuck the remainder of her hair behind her shoulders and move in closer toward her ear. That's when I quietly whisper, "I love you, Brooklyn."


	28. Those You've Known

Alright so, it really depressed me to write this one. Not even kidding. I'm not really sure how I feel about it, either, but whatever. Since I have a new computer and sit home all day and gain about 2,000 pounds while I'm on break, I figured I'd push myself to finish this one fast. Oh, and one more thing: Brooklyn's POV the first time around get's a little songfic-y. Sorry about that, but it fit the mood. The song is "Those You've Known" from Spring Awakening and brings me to the verge of tears every time I hear it. Okay, I think I'm going to go get a new hobby now...or some friends. xD  
- Veg

* * *

I feel my heart sink into my chest when I see Brooklyn staring down at her unconscious friend.

The weeks literally flew by, and there still weren't any signs of Pat waking up any time soon. Already the second week of February, and he still lied there, completely motionless in his hospital bed- a sight that depressed me quite a bit and brought Brooklyn to the verge of collapsing every time. She honestly isn't taking _any_ of this very well, not that I blame her.

Brooklyn probably hasn't gotten any more than 5 hours of sleep these past few weeks and has barely touched any food. Her face lost all color and she looked…sickly. I remember Maggie telling me she looks just awful in school, like she just rolled out of bed, and refuses to acknowledge anyone. Apparently, she can barely manage to get through a _Sound of Music_ rehearsal, because one of her songs is with Pat and doing it with the understudy brings her closer to an emotional breakdown every time. The guys and I are trying to do all we can. Now that I finally have my license, I'm able to pick her up from her rehearsals during the week and bring her back home, where I have to motivate her to finish her work, try and force her to eat and lie down with her up until about 11 at night when I have to leave. There are times where she'll start crying, and times where we won't talk at all. Sometimes, one or all of the guys will join me, or even Jo. Maggie and Kevin are over constantly, too, but it doesn't ever really seem like much help.

I walk up from behind her and tightly wrap my arms around her waist, resting my chin around her shoulder. From our snug embrace, I can feel her whole body quaking and that her cheeks are freshly stained with tears. "Come on," I softly say in her ear, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. "It's almost 8. Visiting hours are over." But Brooklyn just shakes her head- she likes to stay up until the very last second, where the nurses are kicking her out. She carefully places her trembling hand over her friend's lifeless one as she bites down on her lower lip.

I honestly can't stand seeing her like this. I don't think anyone can. Our crazy, dry-humored, mother figure has vanished, and this is all that's left of her. Last time Alex saw her, I swear he almost cried. He even fought to stay with his sister and not go to his father's house, but no one would let him. The poor kid has probably already seen more than necessary at his young age and really shouldn't have to see Brooklyn like this.

I wipe a tear away from the corner of her eye and tightly squeeze her free hand as a nurse comes in to politely ask for us to leave. I nicely reply with an, "Okay," as Brooklyn barely manages to nod. "Come on," I tell her again, tugging on her arm a little. "We'll come back tomorrow." The nurse gives me a sympathetic nod as I silently escort her through the hallway and to the car.

"Alright," I say before letting out a deep sigh as I start up the car and buckle my seatbelt. "You need food…and rest. And a lot of it." The only response she can give me is a nervous shrug. "Hey…" I gently place my hand on her shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise. He's gonna get through this."

Brooklyn brings her gaze from her feet to my face and just mumbles, "That's what you said last month."

"Have some faith, Brooklyn," is all I can tell her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as I carefully pull out of the hospital parking lot. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Barely…"

* * *

_Those you've known and lost still walk behind you  
All alone, they linger till they find you…_

Pat's accident was killing me, both mentally and emotionally. It's all that's ever on my mind. I can't sleep at night, because when I close my eyes, all I can see is my best friend, cold and all one in his hospital bed.

I can barely do anything or even go anywhere anymore. I tried to turn on some music the other day, but broke down crying when a song from the _Jekyll and Hyde_ soundtrack came on. It was the same song Pat picked out for me to sing at my LACHSA audition last year. I tried rereading one of my books, just to take my mind off of everything for a while, but broke down crying when I saw the inside cover had a note written from when Pat gave it to me. I tried going for a walk, but broke down crying when I passed by the dented stop sign where Pat's car supposedly turned over. I've probably cried more in a month than I ever thought I would in my whole lifetime.

Then again, I've been having a lot of flashbacks, too. Like I've said, I can't do anything without thinking of my best friend. Last night, during the hour or two of sleep I somehow managed to get, my only dream was a flashback of when we first met in middle school choir, where he threw a fit because I got picked over him for a solo. I woke up in tears.

There are days where all I can do is think. During those days, my thoughts are racing through my mind, mentally overwhelming me until I feel lightheaded and sick to my stomach._ "What if Logan and I never ended up together?_" was one that frequently popped up. _"Then none of this would have happened…" _Technically, as awful as it sounds, it's true, because if I didn't let myself fall irresponsibly in love with Logan, like I told myself I wouldn't, then none of this would have happened. Nothing would have been bothering Pat that night, and we could have just enjoyed the New Year's Eve we planned. I knew something bad had to come out of my happiness. I just knew it.

Then, there are days where I don't think at all- days where I barely move. Those are the days where I don't want to eat or sleep, but just want to lay in bed all day and blankly stare up at the ceiling as I feel the circles growing under my eyes. Those are the days where my worried friends all crowd around me, making sure I don't do anything stupid, because those are the days where I feel like strapping myself to the nearest railroad.

"Brooklyn," I hear Logan sweetly call from the kitchen. "You have to eat. Can I get you anything?"

I grumble a bunch of nonsense under my breath before finally managing to tell him, "No," just loud enough so he can decipher it. Logan lets out a deep sigh and joins me in the living room.

"Do you have any more work that needs to get done?" He asks, taking a seat next to me, a little closer than I would have liked for him to be right now.

"No," I answer yet again, backing up into the armrest and clutching a pillow close to my stomach. Honestly, I probably do have a helluva lot of work that needs to be taken care of, but I'm not exactly in the mood for it.

"Can you at least do me a favor?" He laces his fingers in between mine and gently squeezes my hand. In reply, I just shoot him a questioning look. "Can you just…smile for me?"

**You can't be fucking serious.**

"It's almost been a month, Brooklyn," he tells me with an upset look. "Please." Logan gently brings his hand to my cheek and caresses it before placing a piece of hair behind my ear. "I haven't seen that beautiful smile in forever."

Once again, all I can tell him is, "No."

_Without them, the world grows dark around you  
And nothing is the same until you know that they have found you..._

* * *

Tonight, Brooklyn fell asleep without food, yet again, and with her head resting on my chest. It's definitely far past 11, AKA the time I needed to be home by, but I don't have the heart to move and wake her up. The girl needs as much sleep as she can get. She's been crying so much lately- more than I thought she ever would. All I can ever really do in return is hug her tightly, kiss her and wipe away her tears, as useless as that sounds. It upsets me to see her like this.

She came to the verge of tears tonight when she took a few minutes to stare at the collage of pictures on the wall in her living room. It was the same one Pat showed me that one night I stopped by here a few months ago, only to find a sleeping, exhausted Brooklyn while he watched over her and her brothers. Pat was basically in every picture up there, and Brooklyn had a story for just about every single one. She stopped after a few, though, which was when I noticed the poor girl choking back tears.

"_I can't believe I let this happen,"_ she said me, her voice cracking in the process. All I could really do in return is reassure her that absolutely none of this was her fault, but she didn't seem to believe me. _"If I just..."_ She started, but the quickly cut herself off. _"Never mind."_ I really wanted to know what she was thinking, but I wasn't going to force her to tell me. Honestly, since I first met Brooklyn, I've wished I could just read her mind, as strangely creepy as that sounds. But, she always seemed to be thinking about something, and definitely never told anyone anything. I wondered if she ever told Pat anything, too, unlike she does for anyone else, but that's obviously not something to question right now.

"Logan?" I hear Brooklyn quietly ask, tiredly picking her head up from my chest and fluttering her heavy eyelids open. In return, I shush her and gently push her head back down.

"Shh," I whisper, comfortingly stroking her hair. "Go back to sleep."

"What time is it?" She asks, turning to her other side to get a glimpse of her alarm clock that already reads 1 AM. "Shouldn't you be home by now?"

"Don't worry about me," I reply. "Go back to sleep." Instead, she just sits up cross-legged and stares down at me. I sigh and shake my head. "Come on," I tug on her arm a little. "You were finally sleeping. Can't you try?"

"I'm not tired anymore," she plainly says, shrugging her shoulders. "Shouldn't you be getting some rest? Aren't you finishing up recording early tomorrow morning? Gustavo will kill you if you're late."

"You're more important." The look she gives me is a combination of uncomfortable and confused as I sit myself up. "What…?"

"Don't say that." She stares down at her blanket and shakes her head. "This is your _career_, Logan- you're whole life. Don't let yourself screw it up for some girl." I was almost offended by her words.

"_Brooklyn_," I sternly tell her, picking up her chin so she's looking at me again. "You're _not_ just "some girl" to me; far from it, actually." She looks away from me, and I just sigh. "Brooklyn, look at me. When I tell you you're more important to me than anything, I mean it." When she finally looks up at me again, I gently peck her lips before leaning my forehead up against hers. "You mean the world to me, Brooklyn, and **I love**-"

"N-no, no!" She cuts me off, pulling away from me. Her voice shakes as she swallows a lump in her throat. "Please…don't say it. Don't. Please."

"What's wrong?" I confusedly ask.

"Please, Logan, just…don't say that," she replies, hugging her knees.

And so I stay quiet as Brooklyn tries to force herself to fall back asleep, trying to decipher what exactly just happened.

* * *

I love Logan. I really, really do.

I love him with all my heart. I love him heartwarming, dimpled smile that can light up a whole city by itself. I love his innocent brown eyes and the ridiculous faces he always makes. I love his sensibility and levelheadedness. I love the way he does that silly little thing with his hair so it all sticks up in the front. I love how he has such a high singing voice, and he always gets offended when I tease him about it. I love it when he holds me and whispers in my ear. I love it when he kisses me softly and runs his fingers through my hair. I just love it all.

And that's my problem. I'm in love with this boy to the point where my words sound gag-worthy enough to come straight from a Taylor Swift song, and that's only going to make it harder for me to let him go.

I'm relieved once Logan dozes off after quite a while of awkward silence. I really wish he just left so I wouldn't be stuck in this situation anymore, but he shouldn't be driving this late, anyway. I don't need someone else I love in the hospital.

Logan, I love you, and I'm _in_ love with you to the point where it makes me sick. But…I don't think this is going to work out. Pat was my best friend before you were my boyfriend, and if the sudden miracle happens where he wakes up, I don't want him to be upset with me again.

I sound absolutely ridiculous, don't I? Can't I just let myself be happy?

No- no, I can't. This is for Pat. This is all for Pat and his happiness and the little faith I have left that he'll wake up.

I glance back over at Logan, fast asleep next to me. I carefully lay my head on his chest again, accidentally inhaling his sweet scent. I'm going to miss the smell of that cologne, whatever the hell it may be. I'm going to miss these nights we spend together where the two of us could lay in silence for hours as he held me close. I'm going to miss having someone look after me, for once, instead of myself looking after them.

_Then why the hell are you doing this?_ I suddenly ask myself._ Don't. It's a stupid idea. Losing Logan is just going to make you more of an emotional wreck than you already are._

But, then again, this isn't about me. This is about my best friend.

I snuggle up closer to him and take in his scent one more time. He's so warm; I can just lay here forever, but I can't. "I love you, Logan," I whisper, as quietly as possible as I swallow a lump in my throat. "But, I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore."

I know I'm going to regret this later on. I really don't want to let go of him…but I feel as if I have to.


	29. Can't Stand Losing You

I'm sorry this one took so long. My life has gone straight back to nonstop rehearsals and ripping my hair out due to finals. -.-" But I'm slowly coming back, and we're getting closer and closer to the end, which kind of makes me sad. Actually, there are only really a few chapters left to bring everything together. :/ But don't fret, because I'll be starting a new story soon, if I can get all my ideas straight for that one. :D Oh, and I'm sorry about the awkward cut-off ending. I didn't really know where to stop on this one. :P  
- Veg

* * *

"You know, it's been awhile since we've been here," Brooklyn points out, taking a seat on the oh-so familiar couch in the coffee shop the two of us know and love. For some reason, she called me here because she wants to talk to me, and I'm more than curious to find out what it's about. Her pretty brown eyes are bloodshot and have big, dark circles under them and her hair is a tangled mess. Still no news on Pat and Brooklyn's still killing herself over it. I hardly recognize the girl sitting in front of me right now.

"Yeah," I reply, smiling to myself. "Can you believe that around this time five months ago, you were telling me to "F off," because you thought I was trying to hit on you?" Brooklyn quietly laughs to herself, and the sight warms my heart. There's the smile I missed so much. "And now I'm glad I didn't chicken out and run away." I gently reach across the table for her hand, but she instantly jerks back. She then opens her mouth to say something, but I anxiously start talking again. "Hey, um, about the other night-"

"Uh, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about," she explains, and I immediately feel my heart beating out of my chest as I lean in closer over the table.

"Look, Brooklyn," I start, but then pause to let out a deep sigh when I take a good look into her eyes. "I'm sorry if that made you…uncomfortable or something. And I know it was really lousy timing, but I guess I've been holding it in for so long I just kind of, well, blurted it out." I just give her an innocent shrug while she idly nods in reply. "I know it's not much of an excuse, but, the truth is… I love you, Brooklyn, and I've been _in_ love with you since…you know, I don't even know when- all I do know is that it's been driving me absolutely _mental_ since then." I take another deep breath, completely oblivious to Brooklyn's blank expression.

"Logan…" She says, looking a bit upset, and I lean back into my seat. "There was a reason why I didn't want you to tell me all this, and that's why I cut you off the other night." She shakes her head and stares down at the newly polished table. "I can't deal with all of these…_emotions_."

"What do you mean?" I nervously question. I see her roughly bite down on her lower lip as her eyes start to tear up.

"Oh, god…" She mumbles to herself, catching a tear from falling out of the corner of her eye. "I'm so fucking sick of crying…"

"Hey," I tell her, reaching across the table again to gently stroke her face, but she pulls away once again. "What's going on?"

"Logan, I just- I…I-I can't do this anymore," her shaky voice replies as she swallows a lump in her throat. I just stare at her, completely dumbfounded. "I shouldn't have let it get to this point." I sigh and give her a frustrated look.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about? Shouldn't have let _what_ get to this point?"

"Us!" She suddenly blurts out, much louder this time. I just stay seated, completely motionless and expressionless. "I shouldn't have let _us_ get to this point…because I knew this would happen."

"You knew _what_ would happen?" I question, much quieter and angrier this time.

"I knew I'd fall horribly in love with you." My heart stops for a split second at that point. "And I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop that."

"And why is that such a bad thing?" There's absolutely nothing going on in my mind right now- it's just complete and utter silence.

"It wasn't at first." She stares down at the table again, obviously unable to look me in the eye. "It's just, since Pat's accident-"

"Brooklyn," I immediately cut her off. "Pat's accident _wasn't _your fault. I told you this."

"I could have avoided it," she quickly shoots back. "Karma's a bitch, Logan, and it seems to be the worst to me." She takes a deep breath, wipes the last of her tears away, and then quietly whispers, "I'm sorry."

I'm not gonna lie- as I watch Brooklyn turn around and walk out the door, I start to get choked up as I feel this huge lump in my throat. I want to call after her, get her attention, run up to her, grab her, kiss her and tell her I can't live without her, as pathetic as it sounds. I at least want to offer her a ride home, not that it doesn't sound even more pathetic or anything. I just don't want her to walk home alone in the rain. I want to, but I don't actually do it. I'm honestly just in complete shock.

I end up not leaving the coffee shop for quite a while. I'm not sure how many cups of coffee I drank, but I'm almost positive it's enough to keep me awake for the next week. My eyes are only half open, but my whole body is shaking as my thoughts race through my mind. As I stare across the empty room at the armchair a few tables away, I start to get this strange sort of flashback. I can see Brooklyn sitting there in that pretty blue dress I loved on her so much, loudly talking away on the phone as she jadedly stares at the reflection in her sunglasses. I want to relive that moment all over again. I wish I can go up to that empty table and awkwardly say, _"Uh, hey,"_ again- the one line that was the start of it all. I wish I can relive all the moments I spent with Brooklyn- from her hitting me in the face with a calculator, to saving our idiot friends in Vegas, to kissing under the mistletoe Christmas Eve. I want all of it all over again, because I loved every second of it, as fast as it went by. And, I have to say, I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss Brooklyn.

"Hey, I don't mean to kick you out or anything," I suddenly hear a voice say. "But, we're going to be closing soon."

"Already?" I groan, slouching back into my chair. I glance over to my right, where I see a tall blonde guy, wiping down the next table over.

"You've been sitting here since, like, 5," he plainly answers, draping the rag over his shoulder before going to stack a few empty cups inside each other. I quietly apologize, and he just tells me, "No big deal," and shrugs it off. After another moment of silence and me refusing to pull myself out of my seat, he suddenly blurts out, "What, did Brooklyn give you the boot earlier or something?" I shoot him a questioning look before he takes a shot to the trashcan from across the room with the empty cups, and actually makes it in. I can't help but think, "_Show off_," even though there isn't anyone else around.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," I growl in reply, irritably crossing my arms.

"Hey, man, don't beat yourself up over it." He moves on to cleaning the next table. "You're lucky she even accepted your first date."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I can't help but sound slightly offended. Who the hell does this guy think he is?

"Well, she's not exactly an easy one, in case you haven't noticed," he tells me with an innocent shrug. "I tried to ask her out the first week of this semester…rather nicely, actually, and I got a fuckin' locker door slammed into my face." Ah, so _that's_ how he knows her.

There's a moment of silence before I reply, "It was a graphing calculator for me," trying my hardest not to laugh at the flashback playing in my head.

"See what I mean?" He asks, rolling his eyes.

"Well…" I let out a deep sigh. "No, not really."

"Brooklyn's just one girl out of the hundred you'll probably date in your lifetime." I can't help but get a little angry at how lightly he puts it. He clearly doesn't understand my situation.

"It's not that simple." Why am I even continuing to answer this guy? I should just get up and leave, like he asked me to do five minutes ago. "Brooklyn was…different." I sigh once again before letting my head drop down on the table.

"Alright, so what happened, then? If you don't mind me asking…" He moves on to the next table. My only assumption is that he's just being polite and saving mine for last.

"I…I don't even know. I mean, I guess since Pat, uh…"

"Oh, you mean Pat's accident?" He finishes for me. "God, I almost forgot about that…it's been so long." He sighs and shakes his head. "Yeah, I hear she's been pretty bummed since then."

"_Bummed _isn't the word. She's in the state of mind where she shouldn't even be alone right now." That's when I finally realize something. "Crap. I gotta call someone." I immediately jump out of my seat and head towards the door as the random mystery guy gives me a strange look.

My first instinct when I get outside is to call Maggie. She answers with a rather annoyed, "_Hello_?" right before I start blubbering on as fast as I possibly can. "Okay, okay. Chill." Much slower this time, I give her the whole recap of what's happened in the past few hours, and she stays completely silent after that.

"Listen, do you think you can stop by over there for a little bit?" I hopefully ask her. "Brooklyn…shouldn't be alone right now. I'm really worried about her."

"Uh…" She sighs and quietly answers another voice in the background. "Yeah, no problem. I'll head over there in a few."

* * *

I wake up the next morning in my bed, alone. That's probably the worst feeling in the world right now. I've grown so used to waking up in Logan's arms this past month; it's almost kind of depressing.

_Shut up. You're not gonna think about that right now._

I reluctantly pull myself to sit up in my bed before getting a quick glance at my alarm clock- it's already past 10. I squint my eyes to shield them from the blinding sun while lazily massaging the back of my neck. Jesus Christ, last night was…eventful, that's for sure. Probably one of my worst.

"Christ, Brooklyn," I remember Maggie scolding me as she snatched the half-empty bottle of vodka out of my hands. "You have a show to get yourself ready for next month. This is just gonna fuck up your voice."

"I don't care," is all I can recall slurring in reply as I fought to snatch the bottle back.

"_No_- no more," she sternly replied. "God, Brooklyn…out of all of the _dumb_ things you've done in your lifetime…_today_ has got to be the dumbest."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." I continued to reach over her for the bottle; it obviously wasn't me getting anywhere.

"Well, obviously, because you're fucking bombed." She then let out a loud, frustrated sigh. "Earlier today, with you and Logan…God, I mean, what the hell was that for, anyway?" I just stayed quiet. I wasn't even drunk enough to ignore that topic. "You two are in love to the point where it gives me a fucking toothache. He loves you, Brooklyn, and he's worrying himself sick over you right now." She sighed again, and then abruptly rose from her seat next to me. "Whatever. You probably have no idea what the hell I just said... Come on; let's just get you to sleep." I tried to argue with her that I wasn't tired, but it all came out as a garbled mess and she led me into my own room…and I guess that brings me to where I am now- hung-over with a pounding headache.

God, Maggie's right, isn't she? I'm so fucking stupid. I can't do anything right.

Although I don't want to, I reach over to my nightstand and grab my phone, anyway, out of bad habit. _1 New Voicemail. _Figures. I blankly stare down at the screen before reluctantly selecting, "Listen." "_Uh, hey, its Logan_," I hear it play back. _"Listen, I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but I just hope you know that I'm really worried about you. I sent Maggie over there…well, because I was scared. I wanted to make sure you were okay, because you really shouldn't be alone at a time like this. I know you really don't want people to worry about you, but we all are, anyway." _He takes a moment let out a quiet sigh. "_I really wish you'd see you didn't have to do what you did earlier, but I guess I understand your reasons. I just wanted to let you know that I love you, Brooklyn, and I'm always here for you no matter what._" He pauses again, before finishing off his message. "_So, uh… I guess that's it… I know you probably won't call me back, but just promise me you'll remember what I said, if you even listened that far."_ Another moment of silence. _"Bye, Brooklyn."_


	30. Another Day

You know what makes this process so much easier? **Outlining my friggin' chapters.** I seriously just flew through this one because I actually knew what I was gonna do with it. I'm sorry I didn't have this idea months ago. -.-  
Oh, and quick question: I'm still really unsure about which road to take for my ending, so I'm wondering, as a "everyone's happy" kind of ending a little too cliche and predictable? Because normally I don't go for that kind of stuff, but I just wanted your opinion. Anyway... here's numero 27!  
- Veg

* * *

It all finally came to that moment I never thought would happen; that moment I feel that I've been waiting for forever, now.

_Pat. _Pat's finally okay. Awake, alive and _okay._ Slowly but surely, I feel as if my life is getting back on track. "_Yo, Brooklyn!"_ Kevin called me just a few minutes ago, sounding rather excited. "Be ready to leave the house in, like, 5 seconds. Maggie and I are coming to get you. We're heading down to the hospital."

"What's wrong?" was my frantic reply. "Is everything alright?"

"Alright?" He repeated back to me. "More like fucking great!"

"What's going on?" Kevin really does have a tendency to make me nervous.

"Pat…He's awake, Brooklyn!" At that moment, I felt my heart skip a beat. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I was awake.

"Apparently, he actually woke up last night," Maggie explains as the three of us exit the car and make our way inside.

"What the hell?" I ask, actually a little upset. "Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?"

"Oh, calm down," she replies, rolling her eyes. "They wanted to wait to have visitors. Besides, we didn't want to bother you while you were all crammed up in your little hole, anyway." I shoot her a glare, clearly hinting that she's already pushing me over the edge. On the other hand, Maggie has a tendency to do that.

After the nurse escorts the three of us to Pat's room, I completely feel my heart take flight. In my darkest, most morbid, disheartened and depressing hour, I get the news that my very last strand of hope held on just long enough. After over a month of lifeless sleep, my best friend woke up, and he's _okay _now. "Patrick," the nurse sweetly calls into the dull room that's silent except for the faint murmurs exchanged between Pat and his mother. "Your friends came to visit." Pat's reaction is completely void.

"Brooklyn, Maggie and Kevin," his mother points out for him. "You remember them, don't you, Patrick?" Pat's blank expression slowly makes a transformation into that heartwarming smile that I missed seeing every day, along with his joyful, hearty chuckle.

"Christ, mother," he replies with his smile. "I didn't _die._"

"Dude, you were out for over a _month,_" Kevin scoffs. That's when I can't contain myself any longer. I can't keep myself from sprinting over to his bedside and pulling him into the biggest, tightest hug ever as my eyes welled up with tears.

"Ow, Brooklyn…" He squeaks, gasping for air. I loosen my grip, but refuse to let go of him.

"Pat, I'm _so _sorry…for everything," I swallow a lump in my throat before frantically continuing on. "I feel like this was all my fault. If we never got in that stupid fight, then you-"

"Brooklyn!" He quickly cuts me off, shaking his head. "Don't say that!" He tries to make our hug tighter again, but is obviously too weak to do so. "This was all _my_ fault. It was all…I mean…God, I was just so stupid! I was stupid enough to be a total ass to Logan and stupid enough to get in my effing car." A part of me wishes that he didn't remember that night so well. "I should have known better than to drive on New Year's Eve." He sighs, then pulls back to look at me. _"I'm_ sorry, Brooklyn. For everything. It's just…it was so _weird_ seeing you and Logan together, and, well, I know it sounds really cliché and girly, but… I didn't want to lose my best friend." Well, now I guess you definitely won't…

"That's not gonna happen," I reassure him, pushing his overgrown hair away from his forehead. Looks like it's time for him to get another haircut. "Ever. I promise."

Our other two friends then proceed to let out a loud, heartfelt, "AWWWWW!" in unison. It feels good to have things back to how they should be.

* * *

It hasn't even been a full week and I already feel like a completely pitiful moron. As sad as it sounds, I'm lost without Brooklyn.

I don't really know who to go to. Some have told to move on and find somebody else, but I don't want to. I love Brooklyn. Sure, I can live without her, but I don't see the point in why I should. The world seems so dull and worthless without her in my life. I know, that's really pathetic. Most guys, like James, for example, can forget about something like this within seconds and jump right back into dating other girls…but not me- not with this situation. To be honest, this society is so quick to tell you to go off with some other person if the first doesn't work out. What ever happened to all of that "soul mate" and "fighting for the person you love" garbage? Am I just being unrealistic and living in a fairytale, or is it that love just doesn't mean as much to other people?

Maybe I am just being unrealistic. I'm still just a kid.

"Hey, man…" Carlos says, plopping down next to me on the couch. He looks at me with an obvious concern that most wouldn't expect coming from innocent, oblivious little Carlos. "You alright?" I don't give him much of a response, because I don't want to tell him I'm not so he'll start worrying about me. "Uh, you want to like, go somewhere or something?" I shoot him a questioning look, and he just gives me an innocent shrug. "James is out, but Kendall's still around here somewhere. I mean, you've been sitting here all day."

"I appreciate your concern, Carlos, but I don't think-"

"Oh, come _on_," he cuts me off, trying to push me out of my seat. "Go pack up your hockey stuff. We can head over to the rink and beat the crap out of Kendall." Only Carlos would be able to put that phrase so lightly. "I'll go get him." My friend then proceeds to make a dramatic sprint out of our room and into the hallway.

Carlos is right. Maybe I just need to get out and do something, although it didn't strike me how it would be possible to play a three-man game of hockey. I kick my closet door open, in search of everything I should bring with me, but then completely freeze when I realize something: The only ice rink around here is the same one I took Brooklyn to on our first real "date".

_Don't think about that,_ I try and tell myself. _You're just going to put a damper on the nice gesture your friends are trying to show you._

The thing is I can't stop thinking about it. I remember that day I spent there with Brooklyn. It was the fun relief we took after a harsh rehearsal with Gustavo for our performance in Vegas. She allowed me to hold her hand that day, mainly because she was terrified of collapsing on the ice. She shrieked the whole time as I dragged her behind me, laughing until it hurt.

I sigh and shake my head, trying to forget all thoughts and memories of Brooklyn. Once again, I can't. I can't help but wonder if she's okay and if her friends are making sure to stay with her. If something were to happen to her, I would never forgive myself.

"I found him!" I hear Carlos loudly enough, running back inside with Kendall lazily following behind him. He doesn't exactly look happy when Carlos presents him to me. "He was just sitting with Jo."

"Yeah, it wasn't important or anything," Kendall scoffs, rolling his eyes. Carlos just smiles innocently, leaving the two of us to laugh at what an idiot he can be sometimes. "You ready to go?"

"Uh…" No. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

Finally, after a series of pain-in-the-ass intense tests, Pat officially returned home. Of course, his immediate request was to spend that first day free over at my house. The two of us sat upside down on my couch, watching some god-awful movie and laughing hysterically about it. It felt just like old times…like we were kids again. "Alright," he finally says, struggling to pull himself up. "I'm getting dizzy." I just laugh and extend my arm out for him to pull me up, too.

"I missed doing stuff like this," I admit, fixing the hair I just messed up. "I can't believe I survived all that time without you." He gives me this sly, "_I knew it"_ kind of smile.

"Well, I trust that Logan took good care of you while I was…idle." My expression turns completely blank. "…right?" I quickly nod.

"Yeah…of course." I bite my lower lip. "He was over here every day. He didn't want me to be alone…at all. I mean, he drove me to and from rehearsals, stayed with me when I went to see you…even spent a few nights here." Remembering the way Logan took care of me almost brought me to the verge of tears. Pat shoots me a questioning look.

"Everything alright?" He then proceeds to ask. I immediately nod. "So, I guess things are pretty good with you two, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," I lie. I know it may sound stupid, but I don't want Pat to know about Logan and I just yet, because I know he'll go all crazy and start worrying about me like he always does. But, I don't want to focus on me right now- I want to focus on the miracle of my friend waking up. That's all that matters to me right now.

"You know, I think I ought to give him a call later." My eyes nearly pop out of my head. He can't be fucking serious. "And apologize for being such a jerk."

"Uhh, no!" I immediately say, and he shoots me another, _"You're fucking crazy,"_ look. "I mean, uh…you don't have to do that!"

"Of course I do," he tells me with a smile. "Any guy who treats you the way he does deserves my approval." I take a moment to shoot him another blank stare. Pat's being _way_ too nice- he must've hit his head. Hard. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," I lie again. "It's just…" I try my hardest to come up with a diversion. "Let's not talk about me. This isn't about me, it's about you."

"Brooklyn, I've been asleep for a month." He just laughs it off. "I don't have much to say."

I take a pause before asking, "What was it like?"

"What, being in a coma? Well…" He looks as if he's searching for the proper description. "It felt like I was a fucking rock." The two of us can't help but laugh at his choice of words. "No, seriously, though…it's just, like…_nothingness_ the whole time. It was probably like being dead or something…no dreaming, no sense of where you are- and then I woke up feeling like I had the worst hangover or something. It was like I got so drunk and couldn't remember anything for a month."

"That…sucks," is all I really have to say back. I can't help but feel bad thinking of all Pat had to go through.

"Yeah, well…" He sighs in relief and smiles yet again. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

And to that, all I have to say is, "Thank god," as I pull him into a tight hug.

* * *

After getting stuck in some brutal traffic on our way home from the rink, my friends and I finally pulled back into the Palm Woods parking lot; the two of them laughing about god knows what. "C'mon, Logan, don't you feel better now after seeing that major face plant Carlos took?" Kendall asks, putting a sympathetic hand on my shoulder as I put the car into park. I force myself to smile and laugh a bit, considering it actually was pretty funny.

"Yeah, you're right," I reply. "Thanks, guys."

"Any time, man," Carlos says before swinging his door open.

"Hey, uh, I'll be there in a few minutes. I've just got to…do something." God, I'm a bad liar. My friends know that, too, but they just give me a dismissing, "Okay," and make their way inside.

Although I appreciate the effort my friends put in to cheering me up, I really wish I hadn't gone with them today. It was…painful, but I didn't want to say anything.

I smack the "On" switch to the radio as hard as I can before reclining my seat back, but then quickly put it back up when I hear the music. _"And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while; cause girl you're amazing just the way you are…"_ Dammit, if there are two things I hate right now, it's Bruno Mars and these stupid LA radio stations. I'm quick to turn the radio right back off.

I remember singing that song to Brooklyn once. We were in our usual meeting spot for a tutoring session, and it just so happened to be playing in the coffee shop. "God, I hate this song_,"_ I recall her mumbling as she slouched back in her chair. I started joking around, and just to play around with her, I started singing along as she flipped through her book, trying to find the page she needed. The two of us kept laughing, until she finally admitted, "You know, it actually doesn't sound half-bad when you sing it." Little did she know that it always happened to remind me of her every time I heard it.

My silence is broken when I notice my phone going off. I reluctantly pull it out of my pocket, only to find a, _"Dude…where are you?"_ text from Kendall. I quickly send a reply, making up some BS that I'm on the phone with my mom or something. I don't really feel like going inside right now. I blankly stare down at my screen for a moment after the message sends, and something seems to possess me to tap on the "Photos" icon. God, what am I doing? Finally, I'm brought to all of my saved pictures. Oh, right…

There's this one picture…the one picture that's been driving me absolutely crazy lately. I remember that Kendall took it backstage before our performance during that wonderful weekend in Vegas. It was just the two of us in the picture, sitting down next to each other. She had taken the initiative to steal my sunglasses that day, which is clearly visible in the picture, although her head is turned to the side, due to the fact that it was taken in the middle of her planting a kiss on my cheek. I was smiling like an idiot, although at the time, it was nothing more than a friendly gesture. But, now…now I wish…I would do _anything_…to go back to that day and freeze that moment where she placed her soft lips upon my trembling cheek. I really do love this picture, because it shows so much about Brooklyn. It shows she's the loving, compassionate, gentle girl who just happens to pair her floral dress with her combat boots. It shows the girl I fell in love with.

_Yeah, and the girl who left you, who's trying to forget about you if she hasn't already._

I slowly drag my finger over to the "Delete" button and select it. "_Are you sure you want to delete this photo?"_ the message on the screen asks. I keep my finger on the "Yes" selection for quite a while, but…

I get another good look at the picture, from Brooklyn's pink lips to my dumb smile. I then move my finger over to the other side and select, "No." I'm not giving up that easily.


	31. The Memory Remains

Well, here we are...at the** second to last chapter.** :O And you know what that means? Pretty soon (hopefully in the next day or so), this story will be over and done with! I know...it makes me sad, too. I'm not gonna lie, I've grown emotionally attached to this story, especially Brooklyn & Logan together (or **"Broogan",** as **Oreo-Child** puts it. :3), but a new one is actually already in progress with half of one chapter written. Anyway, here ya go. Enjoy it while it lasts. :)  
-Veg  


* * *

  
I'm not going to call it "moving on" and it most definitely isn't "forgetting about Brooklyn"…but, for now, I'll call my current state _coping_ with my situation. I mean, we're already in to March, and I'm not going to just mope around all day, because that will just bring the rest of my friends down. Do I miss Brooklyn? Yes, I do, with all my heart. Am I practically dying inside? Of course. Am I going to tell anyone this? Well, with the exception of Carlos, the one person I can always count on to listen to me…no.

"**Logan!**" Camille whines, tugging on my arm. One of the worst things about this is that it gives Camille an excuse to breathe down my neck 24/7, and then pretends she doesn't get my hint that I really don't want anything to do with her anymore. Of course…I'm not mean enough to tell her straightforward. I quickly snap back into attention to her as she slams her script shut, because nothing could get any more annoying than Camille being stressed _and_ frustrated with me before one of her auditions. "Come on, I can't rehearse here. It's too noisy."

"Where do you want to go, then?" I plainly ask with a bored shrug. Why do I always have to get sucked up into the drama of one of her auditions? Brooklyn never did that to me… She wouldn't even talk about one until it was over and the final decision had been made… _Stop it. You're only going to make yourself feel worse._

"Oh, I don't know," Camille suspiciously ponders in reply. She gives me this awfully mischievous smile before asking, "Oh, you know that coffee shop down the street? Why don't we go there?" I completely freeze, unsure of how to respond. It's obvious she was aware that would get to me.

"Uh…I don't know," I nervously reply. "It's probably not going to be much quieter there, anyway-"

"Aw, come on," she cuts me off with a smile, continuing to tug on my arm. "Let's go. We can walk."

I don't know how I endured the completely silent walk down the street we took. There is so much I wish I could say to Camille right now, but if there's anything I hate, its being mean to people. Halfway through, she reaches for my hand, but I casually swing my arm back, pretending like I don't notice.

When the two of us reach the destination of what was once my love life, I'm in for quite a surprise. Well, maybe it isn't exactly surprising, considering it was only a month ago when I met the tall, blonde busboy working there, but I tried my hardest not to think about that night, including the conversation the two of us had. When he notices me, he flashes me a friendly smile, obviously remembering, too, and gestures me over to the counter. "Who's that?" Camille asks, suspiciously.

"Uh…" I try to think of an explanation, but really can't. "Just a friend. Why don't you go find us a table? I'm going to go say hi really quick." She just shrugs and does as I say before I go to reacquaint myself with the worker whose name I never exactly learned.

"Remember me, don't you?" He asks with a smirk.

"Of course," I mumble in reply, sort of rolling my eyes at the memory. "How could I forget?" He just laughs and points over at Camille, seating herself by the window.

"Well, looks like you got over it pretty quickly," he states as I glance back at her. "See? What did I tell you?" I just shrug, and he groans in reply.

"Not exactly; Camille's just a…friend." I then hesitate before asking, "Have you seen Brooklyn lately?" He nods before going to wipe down the counter with his rag. "Do you know how she's doing?"

"I can only assume she's great, now that Pat's awake and-"

"_Wait,_ Pat's awake?" I suddenly ask in complete shock and he nods. "When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago…like, towards the end of last month." He pauses a moment, before adding in, "I'm assuming this means you haven't talked to her." I shake my head.

"Not since we broke up…" And I guess that's never going to be reversed… The guy sighs and shakes his head.

"Listen…" He stops for a moment, and then asks, "I'm sorry, what's your name?" All I can think is: _Why wasn't this established the first time?_ before giving it to him. "Logan…first of all, I'm Simon. I guess it's good to know the name of the random busboy who's preaching to you." He laughs at his own joke that really wasn't that funny to begin with. Now it's obvious why Brooklyn rejected him. "Anyway, all I can tell you at this point is to, well…_get over it_. I'm sorry but…" He sighs and looks up at me. "Brooklyn's obviously moved on. Actually, I've been hearing some things about her and Pat dating now."

I swallow the huge lump forming in my throat. "Seriously?" I don't want to listen to a word of what he just told me. I mean, Brooklyn and Pat are only best friends…right?

"Sorry, man." He shrugs. "Hey, I've gotta get back to work. Don't let this get you down. You have another pretty girl waiting for you over there."

I nod and give him a quiet, "Thanks," before turning around and heading to Camille's table. That's when I remember something and immediately turn back around. "Wait…the next show over at your school- when is it?"

"Huh?" He asks. "Oh, _the Sound of Music_? I think that's next weekend, actually? Why- oh…" He rolls his eyes. "Please don't tell me you're-"

"Thanks, man," I quickly cut him off and rush back over to a very impatient looking Camille.

* * *

"Pat…Pat…" I try to get my friend's attention, who clearly isn't focusing. "**Patrick!**" He nearly falls out of his seat once I finally take the initiative to yell at him. "C'mon, you gotta focus. You only have till next week to get this right." He sighs, sits back up and resumes studying his script.

"I still can't believe I'm even allowed to perform." He says with a sigh.

"Yeah, me either," I agree, laughing a bit. "Well, it's not like it's any different. You normally don't pull it together till hell week, anyways." He playfully glares at me before bringing a pillow off the couch and against my head. "What? Don't act like it isn't true!"

Basically, Pat has until next week to learn everything for our show…which is- yup, you guessed it- **next week.** "I don't feel like doing this," he childishly whines.

"You still have to learn how to waltz," I remind him, and he lets out a loud groan and buries his face in another pillow in reply. I pull it away from him, and then pull him out of his seat. "Come on, it's easy." I grab one of his hands and place his other on my waist and mine on his shoulder. "Just follow me until you get the hang of it. One, two, three, one, two, three-"

"Ahh, stop!" He quickly lets go of me. "You're going through this too fast!"

"Do you want to go on next week or not?" I sternly ask, putting my hands on my hips and leaning forward- my classic "mother scolding her child" look. "Because I'll tell you something right now- your understudy _sucks, _and the last thing I want is to do this with him_._"

"Oh, just _relax," _he tells me, messing up the top of my hair. "I'll get the hang of it. You just need to chill out. Let's take a break for a few minutes."

"Fine," I reply. "But a _few_ minutes is five, maybe even ten- but not two hours.

"Okay, _mom_," he snorts, heading into his kitchen. It actually feels weird to be at his house for once. "Oh, by the way, were you recommended for the Music Abroad trip this summer?"

"Eh, yeah," is my unsure response. "I don't think I'm gonna go, though."

"What the fuck do you mean you don't think you're gonna go?" He asks, hitting my shoulder. "It's a free month in Europe- _of course_ you're going!" He pauses a moment, then adds in, "Besides, my mom doesn't trust me going alone," with an innocent smile.

"Trust me, I wish I can, but…" I sigh and shake my head. "I can't leave the boys for a month. That just won't happen."

"Oh, come _on_, Brooklyn," he says. "You're not supposed to be responsible for them. They have a father that can take that whole month to actually get to know his kids."

"I can't do it, Pat. You know I can't."

"Of course you can!" Clearly frustrated, he crosses his arms and lets out a loud huff. "Come on, Brooklyn, you only live once. Just imagine it- the two of us _tearing shit up_ in Europe together!" I'm really tempted to put a damper on his vision and tell him it's going to be a lot of choir rehearsals and performances and that there won't be any time to "tear shit up", but I hold it in.

"Pat, you know I can't. I won't do that to my brothers."

"Oh, you probably just don't want to spend a month without _Logan_," he then teases. I just stay silent. Goddammit, Pat, why? I was doing such a good job of not thinking about him, too! "What's going on with you two, anyway? I haven't seen him around lately."

"Uh, nothing," I quietly reply.

"Brooklyn…" Pat says, suspiciously.

"What?" I ask, staring down at my feet.

"I know that look," he tells me. "Something's up. What is it?"

"Nothing," I lie.

"You're lying to me, Brooklyn. I'm not stupid. I've known you long enough to notice these things." I just bite my lower lip and continue to refuse to look up at him. "Tell me what's going on." Goddammit. I really wish he didn't know me so well sometimes.

"Logan and I…" I start, feeling a lump in my throat when I finally take the time to think about it again. "Well…I broke up with him." Pat makes this face at me that clearly says he's confused.

"Uh, and when was this?"

"Um, like…the week before you woke up," I reply with a guilty expression and quickly continue before he can start flipping out on me. "Look, Pat…I know, this is going to sound really stupid, but, when you were in that coma, I truly believed it was my fault." He opens his mouth to argue my statement, but I keep talking. "I know, I know, you think I'm being stupid, but that's really how I felt…and then maybe I thought if I took away what really upset you that night, it would make things right again." I look up at him with sad, watering eyes. "And it did."

"Brooklyn…"

"I know you're probably upset I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you worrying about me."

Pat sighs and shakes his head. "This…this is just absurd." I divert my attention back down to the floor. "Brooklyn, look at me." I do as he says, as much as I don't want to. "You love that boy, don't you? You know what? Don't even answer that, because I _know_ you do. You're my best friend, Brooklyn, and all I want is for you to be happy. Don't feel like I'm getting in the way of your relationship, because that's the absolute _last_ thing I want."

"You're not, Pat, trust me."

"Then why'd you break up with him?" He asks with a sigh.

"Because i…" I take a moment to think of an answer that doesn't involve Pat and/or his accident. "It just wasn't meant to work out."

"Yes it was, Brooklyn. Stop lying to yourself. I know you miss him." And he couldn't be any more right about that.

Of course I miss Logan. I miss that adorably overbearing cologne he always wears. I miss having someone to make fun of for not being able to hold their alcohol. I miss that dumb little ducks' ass hairstyle he seems to pull off so well. I miss those innocent brown eyes and that sweet, dimpled smile. I miss having someone to hold me when I can't sleep, cheer me up, kiss me, sing to me, and tell me that they love me. I miss having someone love me most of all.

"I know you love him, Brooklyn."

"No you don't," I quickly retort, choking back tears. _Goddammit, can you please stop with the fucking crying?_ "It's just…I'm still in high school. I don't know what love is yet." Pat rolls his eyes at me yet again.

"Obviously, you do." He gently wraps his arms around me and rests his head on my shoulder. "You know you do. Stop denying it." I just stay silent, because I know I'm going to start with the fucking crying again if I say anything. "And you know he loves you, too. _I _know he loves you. He doesn't have to say it." I quickly jerk back and shake my head. I'm not letting Pat get through to me this time, because as my best friend, he has a tendency to do that.

"No, Pat. Just…no. It's all over and done with." I catch a tear from falling from the corner of my eye. "Come on, we've wasted enough time already. We're not talking about this anymore. We have a show next week to rehearse for, and you're nowhere near ready." And that's my biggest…my _only_ concern right now.


	32. The End of the Beginning

And here we are, at the end. I'm sooo sad right now, just because I could have easily gone on forever with this story...but, all good things have to come to an end, right? :(  
I'd just like to take a moment to thank you guys for all of your nice reviews and for being such **incredible readers**, because I would've given up on this without them. So thanks. :)  
By the way, I'm going to have a new story on it's way, soon. It's probably going to be shorter than this one and a bit James-centric, but there will be slight Brooklyn/Logan mentioned on occasion. So look forward to that, and possibly even a sequel to this story, thanks to an awesome idea **mutantshinobi** sent me in a very nice message. :) So thanks again, everyone, and enjoy this _very cliche ending!_  
-Veg :D

* * *

I stare at my reflection in the mirror as Maggie stands behind me, helping with fixing my hair. "You ready?" She excitedly asks as I reach over the table to grab what I need to start my makeup. Myrt nearly skips a beat when I hear someone call, "5 minutes until show time!"

I take a deep breath before calmly replying, "Of course I am." I take the caps off of two different lipsticks before holding them up for my friend to see. "Which one?"

"Go with the red one," she tells me, pinning a section of my hair back. "You're supposed to be sexy or something like that."

"This isn't sexy at all," I point out once the bright shade is on my lips. "I look like a fucking clown.

"Stage makeup," she reminds me. "No one in the audience will be able to notice." I nearly jump out of my seat when Pat dramatically bursts through the door, overly excited, as always.

"There's my Elsa!" He calls out to me in a singsongy tone. "Hurry up with that, Mags. I have her mic."

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood," Maggie points out, finishing me off with some lovely air-polluting hairspray.

"Yeah, well, it's a good day," he says with a smile.

"He's just happy we were able to pull this together...last night," I explain, rolling my eyes as I rise from my seat so Pat can help me put my microphone on.

"You're damn right I did," he proudly states, wrapping one of the pieces around my ear.

"Alright, I gotta get out there," Maggie says after she quickly fits the battery pack in the back pocket of my skirt. "I'll see you guys at intermission." We wish her good luck before she rushes backstage.

"Excited?" Pat asks me, beaming his smile as he fixes his shirt collar in the mirror. I nod as I get a quick glance at the clock- the show's about to start, which means Pat and I still have a good amount of time before our scenes. I let out a frustrated sigh when I look back over at him, only to see his tie came loose. I quickly turn to him to fix it. "Yeah, yeah, I know- seventeen years old and I still can't tie my own fucking tie."

"And this is why your mom won't let you go to Europe without me," I reply, laughing. He joins in, gently wrapping his arms around me as I finish fixing his tie.

"Hey, I wouldn't want to go without you," he tells me. "They make you do your own laundry and everything." He shudders at the thought of actually doing something for himself for once, which just makes me laugh again. We're silent for a moment until he finally breaks it. "Hey, Brooklyn?"

"Yeah?" I ask, taking a step back from the mirror to make sure everything looks okay.

"Remember last year when you did your first show here, and I gave you that whole spiel on how to get through it because you were so nervous?" I just laugh and nod. Of course, how could I forget _Pat's List of 2,000 Rules for a Successful Performance_? "Well...remember the very first rule I'd always remind you of?"

"Of course," I say with a smile. "Always look at the audience as a whole, never individually." That was especially helpful last year to avoid further embarrassment during _the Wizard of Oz._

"Yeah, well, tonight..." He starts again, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Break that rule." I cock my head to the side and shoot him a questioning look.

"What?" I confusedly ask. "Why?"

"I thought I taught you better than to question me," he says with a smirk. "Just promise me you'll do it."

"Alright," I say with a sigh. "Fine."

* * *

I start to impatiently tap my foot as the stage lights go off for another scene change. All I can wonder is how much longer until Brooklyn comes on, because that's who I'm obviously here to see. "Does she know you're coming this time?" Kendall whispers, leaning in closer to me. When I shake my head, he lets out a quiet chuckle. "Geez, this is the third time in a row."

"She'll see me," I tell him. "Trust me." My friend just rolls his eyes at me and I ignore him. Pat told me he was gonna work this out, so that means I have nothing to worry about...right? I feel Kendall nudge me, and when I look over at him, he nods toward the stage, which was finally lit on Brooklyn and whoever's playing the male lead. I have no idea what's going on or what they're even saying. I just see Brooklyn, looking as beautiful as ever, beaming with pride onstage.

I eventually lost track of where exactly the play was going, because if it didn't involve Brooklyn, I really wasn't paying attention, which basically means that I didn't care much for the last 20 minutes of the second act and didn't pay attention again until curtain call. I know that it's "theatre etiquette" to wait until the lead roles took their bow for a standing ovation... But, it's clearly obvious that my friends and I could care less for Maria and Captain Von Trapp, because the second Brooklyn and Pat came back out together, the four of us, sitting front and center, all jumped up and started applauding madly, leading the rest of the audience in joining us. Brooklyn keeps her smile as the two take their bow, but I can see it in her eyes that something's not right. That's when I turn to Kendall and tell him, "I told you she'd see me."

Once the whole cast takes their final bow, the four of us rush to the back to be the first ones out the door. I lead my friends over towards the display case in the lobby that Pat told me to meet him by. "Hey, there's Brooklyn's name!" Carlos loudly points out, making me jump back into the glass case, which I have to admit hurt a lot. Upon closer inspection, I notice that he's pointing at the huge mural on the wall next to us, where it clearly stated _Brooklyn G.- Color & 2D Final_ at the very bottom. "You know, it kind of reminds me of that hotel in Vegas- the, uh..."

"The Venetian," I finish for him, faintly smiling to myself at the picture that showed a silhouette of a couple on a gondola ride, the Vegas nighttime scenery surrounding them.

"Logan!" I hear someone call out my name before I can even start having a flashback. I turn around, only to see Pat, attempting to make his way out of the giant crowd and over toward us.

"Hey," I say, nodding toward him. He then proceeds to laugh at me and pull me in to one of those awkward, one-armed "guy hugs," which was definitely unexpected. "You guys were…awesome." Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, Pat has an incredible voice, not to mention a hilarious stage personality.

"Yeah, I know," he says with a smirk. My friends all shoot me the same, "_Is this guy for real?" _look, which I just ignore. I guess you can say I'm used to his personality now. "So, uh, I guess we'll wait here while the princess takes off her stage makeup," he adds in, rolling his eyes.

"Did she see us?" I ask, just out of curiosity. I figured it would be kind of hard to look past the only four idiots standing up too early.

"It was kind of hard to miss that early standing ovation," he snorts. "She looked, uh…" He just laughs and rubs the back of his neck. "Confused…"

"Brooklyn!" Carlos suddenly exclaims, rushing over to her across the lobby and pulling her into a tight hug. "I miiiissed you!"

"Um, hi, Carlos," she says, awkwardly patting his head. "What…what're you doing here?"

"We came to see you!" He explains with the obvious answer. The rest of us sigh and shake our heads. _Carlos…_ "Come on! You have to come see Logan!" My friends start laughing at the fact that he clearly didn't get the hint about us being nonchalant about this.

"Uh, no, Carlos, I-"

"Come _on,_" he says in a childish tone, tugging on her arm until she follows him back over to our spot. He then proceeds to push her forward, and I actually have to catch her to avoid both of us falling over.

"…hi," I say in a quiet tone, keeping my gentle grip on her.

"Hi…" She quietly says in return, staring down at her feet.

"Jesus Christ, do we have to do this _for_ you two?" Pat groans, which is soon followed by Kendall and James walking up to the two of us. James pulls my hands off of her arms and places them on her waist, and Kendall then moves Brooklyn's arms to around my neck. The two of us just stand there speechless, like complete idiots, until Pat takes the initiative to walk up to the two of us and push our faces toward each other. Of course, instead of our lips touching, like he was probably hoping for, our foreheads smacked in to each other, which definitely…hurt.

"Patrick!" Brooklyn whines, stumbling backward. Once again, I catch her from falling and hurting herself as she rubs her forehead. "What the _hell_?" The rest of the guys just laugh at us, obviously getting some type of sick entertainment out of this. Brooklyn then looks up at me with this sad, guilty expression as she bites down on her lower lip.

"Look, Brooklyn," I stammer. "I…I know you-" That's when the most unexpected thing happens- I'm cut off by her lips crashing up against mine.

"I don't need to hear a speech, Logan," she says, barely pulling her mouth away from mine as she shows a faint smile. All of our friends are gushing in the background- well, half of them, considering Pat and Kendall are making gagging noises at us- but we just ignore them. Brooklyn then proceeds to pull me into a tight hug, resting her head on my chest.

And, now, everything feels right again.

* * *

If I've learned anything from being with Logan these past few months, it's that I now can't stand falling asleep alone, as horribly _pathetic_ as that sounds…and when he _is_ lying next to me, I can't even fall asleep because I just keep talking to him as he just laughs at me, probably for looking like a _fucking moron_. I sigh and cuddle up closer to him, inhaling his cologne. I don't know what I'm gonna do without him for a month.

"Brooklyn," Logan says with a sigh. "Go to _bed_. I know you, and you're not gonna want to wake up at 6 tomorrow morning."

"I'm gonna miss you," I sadly admit, resting my head up against him. He just smiles at me and pushes an overgrown piece of hair out of my face, and then proceeds to twirl the end of it around his finger.

"Oh, please," he tells me, rolling his eyes. "You're going to be having the time of your life out there. Don't worry about me."

"That doesn't mean I won't miss you," I retort with a pout.

"It's only a month. I'm sure it'll go by quickly." Our slight smiles eventually move closer and closer toward each other until they meet, bringing the two us into a long, passionate kiss that leaves my heart racing with adrenaline pumping through my veins, and it eventually gets to the point where Logan has to force himself to pull away. He lets out a deep sigh and gently presses his forehead up against mine. "As tempting as you're making this, your brothers are still down the hall." As if right on cue, the two of us start to hear light, little footsteps coming from down the hall.

"Brooklyn?" I hear Alex sweetly ask through the crack in my door. "Are you still awake?" Logan and I both sit ourselves up before telling him to come in.

"What's wrong, hun?" I ask, helping him up on the bed and then seating him in my lap. He then proceeds to tightly wrap his arms around my neck and buries his face in my neck.

"I don't want to go to daddy's tomorrow," he says, sounding like he's on the verge of tears. "I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here with me." I shush him and gently stroke the top of his head.

"I know," I tell him with a sigh. "But it'll only be a few weeks. You won't even notice I'm gone. I promise." He looks up at me with sad eyes that basically screamed that he doesn't believe me. "Come on, you'll have lots of fun with your dad. He has the pool and that huge backyard…and that little rat-dog." I kind of snarled the last one, which made him laugh a bit.

"I don't like that lady that's always over there now. She's not very nice."

"Don't say that, Alex. That's going to be your dad's new-" I then clear my throat and add in, "-_seventeenth-_ wife."

"I don't want you to go," he whines again. Logan just chuckles and ruffles the top of his hair.

"I'm gonna miss her, too, bud," he admits, looking down at him. Alex sighs and looks up at him. "You know what? Maybe we can hang out when she's gone." I shoot him a _"You don't have to do that"_ look, but he just flashes his smile and continues talking. "How about I pick you up some time this week and we go do something fun?"

"Like what?" Alex asks him, looking a lot happier now.

"Whatever you want," he smiles again and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Go to the park, get ice cream-"

"Ice cream?" He excitedly asks, and then glares over at me. "Brooklyn _never _buys me ice cream." Logan laughs at him as I shoot him a playful glare.

"That's because then _I'll_ be tempted to eat it every day, which totally isn't okay and will screw up my voice, and then I'll get fat _and_ be a bad singer." The two boys laugh at me, although I don't find it very funny.

"So how does Saturday sound, Alex?" Alex happily nods, then lets himself under my blanket. Looks like I have a full bed tonight…

And I can't be any more thankful for that when I refuse to wake up at 6 AM the next morning, because it wouldn't have been possible if I didn't have two adorable boys pouncing on me and screaming in my ear.

* * *

Alex and I walk with Brooklyn towards her gate as far as we possibly can, but unfortunately, we aren't able to walk her all the way. "Well," Brooklyn says, biting her lower lip. "Looks like this is it…" Alex immediately pulls her legs in to a tight hug, and Brooklyn just giggles and picks him up. "Hey, come on- a month will go by before you even know it." He then wraps his arms around her neck, still completely silent. "Pat's bringing his computer, so we can get on webcam whenever you want to see me."

"I'm gonna miss you," he says, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm gonna miss you, too," she tells him. "But, I know your dad and grandma and even Logan said they're gonna take good care of you while I'm gone, and I trust…most of them." She laughs and shoots me a playful glare.

"Come on, Alex," I tease in reply. "We'll have lots of fun _without_ your sister."

"Brooklyn!" We hear a familiar voice echo. We all turn our heads, only to see Pat, sprinting over towards us as he drags his suitcase behind him. He definitely seems in a rush and out of breath. "Come on, we gotta, uh, go-" He gasps for air before continuing on, "-check in, and we're gonna be boarding soon."

"Okay, okay, just give me a minute to say goodbye." She then turns her attention back to her younger brother, gently placing him back on his feet. "Are you gonna be okay?" He just nods.

"I think so…" He quietly replies.

"Come on, smile for me." He shows his older sister a faint smile and she pulls him into a tight hug and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call as often as I can. I promise." She then looks up at me with a melancholy smile, and I take a step forward and tightly wrap my arms around her waist. She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder.

"A month isn't as long as it seems," I remind her. "Have fun, okay?" She looks up at me, much happier this time, before stretching upward to plant another one of those long, heated kisses on me that she seems to love to drive me crazy with.

"Oh, come _on_," we hear Pat groan, but we kind of brush him off. "There's a child present."

"But it's okay because they're in love, Pat," Alex innocently tells him, and we all can't help but laugh.

"Yeah, _Pat_," Brooklyn mocks. She then looks up at me as I gently grab both of her hands. "I love you, Logan."

I reply with a simple, "I love you, too," before sneaking something in the palm of her hand and gently shutting it tight.

"What's this?" She asks, only to find a ring in the middle of her hand when she opens it. She seems to be at a loss for words, and I can't tell if that's good or bad.

"Just…an idea," I explain, slipping the ring on her finger. "I don't want to rush anything…but I just want you to think about it when you're away."

"Fair enough," she says, smiling up at me before giving me another gentle peck on the lips. I nearly feel my heart sink in my chest when I hear her gate being called to board.

"Brooklyn, today, please," Pat moans. "Before I get a _cavity_." She sighs and pulls Alex and me into one last hug and gives us both one last kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, guys. Love you. Alex, behave yourself, and Logan…try and keep him out of trouble, okay?" That's when Pat starts impatiently tugging at her arm.

"Hey, Pat," I say, patting him on the shoulder. "Take care of her for me, okay?"

"I would say okay, but it's probably gonna be the other way around," he admits with a chuckle. "Come on, we gotta go." The two wave as they head toward their gate and Alex and I wave back.

"Are you and Brooklyn getting married?" Alex asks me as he follows me back into the parking lot.

"I don't know yet. It's up to your sister." I tell him. "But, if we do, it won't be until much later."

"Then why'd you give her that ring?" I smile down at him. If there's one thing I love the most about Alex, it's his innocence.

"Because," I reply, putting a hand on his shoulder as we continue to walk. "I love her."

And I always will. This is only the end of the beginning, and we still have a long way to go.


End file.
